chapter 7 back at the farm again

anne came running to meet dick and julian. 'oh, i'm glad you're back!' she said. 'it's beginning to getdark, and i was afraid you'd lose your way!'

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'hallo, george!' said julian, seeing her behind anne, in the darkness of the passage. 'how's timmy?'

'all right, thank you,' said george, sounding quite cheerful. 'here he is!'

timmy barked loudly and jumped up at the boys in welcome. he was very glad to see them, for hehad been afraid that they had gone back home. they all went into the living-room, where there wasan enormous wood- fire, looking very cheerful indeed. julian and dick fell into the two mostcomfortable chairs and spread their legs out to the fire.

'ha! this is good!' said dick. 'i couldn't have walked another step. i don't believe i can even go upthe stairs to wash. we've walked miles!'

they told the girls about their day, and when they described the little summer chalet, the two girlslistened eagerly.

'oh - i wish we'd gone with you,' said anne, longingly. 'timmy would have been quite all right,wouldn't he, george? we've decided it's only a skin-wound. actually, you can hardly see it now.'

'but all the same, i'm going back home tomorrow,' said george, determinedly. 'i'm sorry i made sucha fuss this morning - but honestly i thought timmy had been badly bitten. thank goodness he wasn't.

still, i'm not risking such a thing again. if i stay on here with him, he's sure to have those three dogsattacking him sometime or other, and he might be killed. i don't want to upset your holiday - but i cannot stay on here with tim.'

'all right, old thing,' said julian, soothingly. 'don't get so up-in-the-air about it. there - you've goneand started your cough again! do you know, dick and i haven't coughed once today!'

'nor have i,' said anne. 'the air is marvellous here. i think i ought to go back with george, though,ju. she'd be miserable all by herself at home.'

'listen,' said julian. 'we've got an idea, dick and i - one that means old george won't have to gohome, and...'

'nothing will make me stop here,' interrupted george at once. 'nothing!'

'give me a chance to tell you what i've got up my sleeve,' protested julian. 'it's about that mountain-hut we've been to - dick and i thought it would be a marvellous idea if we could all five of us go andspend our time there - instead of here. we'd be absolutely on our own then - the way we like tobe!'

'oh yes!' said anne at once, delighted. they all three looked at george. she smiled suddenly.

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'yes - that would be fun. i'd like that. i don't suppose those dogs would come near there. and howheavenly to be on our own!'

'mrs. jones said that her son morgan told her we're going to have heavy falls of snow!' said anne.

'we could spend all day long on those slopes with our toboggans and skis. oh, george -what a pity timmy can't ski! we'll have to leave him at the hut when we go off skiing!'

'do you suppose mrs. jones will mind us going off there?' said dick.

'i don't think so,' said anne. 'she was telling us today that parties of children go there alone in thesummer, while their parents stay and have a peaceful time down here. i don't see why she shouldn'tlet us go. we'll ask her when she comes in with our high tea. i said we wouldn't have tea and supper -we'd just have one big meal. we didn't know what time you'd be back - and george and i had such anenormous dinner in the middle of the day that we knew we wouldn't want tea.'

'yes. i'd rather have a big meal now, too,' said julian, yawning widely. 'i'm afraid all i shall want todo afterwards is to go up to bed and fall asleep. i'm marvellously tired. in fact, i could go to sleep thisvery minute! i suppose you girls have been indoors all day long because of timmy?'

'no. we took it in turns to go for a walk without him,' said anne. 'george hasn't let him put his noseoutside the door. poor timmy - he just couldn't understand it, and he whined and whined!'

'never mind - he'll enjoy himself if we can go up to that hut,' said george, who was very cheerfulindeed now. 'i do hope we can. it would be glorious fun.'

'ju - come and wash,' said dick, seeing that julian had his eyes closed already. 'julian! come up andwash, i tell you - you don't want to miss your meal, do you?'

julian groaned and dragged himself up the stone stairway. but once he had sluiced himself in coldwater he felt much better, and very hungry indeed. so did dick.

'we didn't tell the girls about that funny little creature - what was her name now - aily! and dave herdog and fany the lamb. we mustn't forget to ask mrs. jones about them,' said julian.

they went downstairs, feeling much fresher and were delighted to see that mrs. jones had been inand laid the table. they went up to see what there was for their high tea.

'pork pie - home made, of course,' said dick. 'and what's this - golly, it's a cheese! how enormous!

smell it, julian - it's enough to make you start eating straightaway! and more of that home-madebread! can't we start?'

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'no - there are new-laid boiled eggs to begin with,' said anne, with a laugh. 'and an apple pie andcream to end with. so i hope you really are hungry, you two!'

mrs. jones came in with a pot of hot tea. she smiled at the boys as she set the big brown teapot downon the table.

'is it a nice day you've had, away up on the mountain?' she said. 'you look fine, both of you. did youfind the hut all right?'

'yes, thank you,' said julian. 'mrs. jones, it's a marvellous hut. we...'

'yes, yes - it's a good hut,' said mrs. jones, 'and it's sorry i was the two girls didn't go with you, sucha fine day as it was, and the dog not really hurt! and to think that the girls want to go back home! it'ssad i've been this day in my thoughts!'

she really did seem hurt and grieved, and george looked very guilty. julian patted mrs. jones on thearm, and spoke comfortingly.

'don't you worry about us, mrs. jones. i've got a fine idea to tell you. what we'd really like is to goand live up at that hut, the five of us - then we'd be out of your way and timmy would be out of theway of the farm dogs too! do you think we might do that? then george wouldn't have to go home, asshe had planned to do.'

'well now! to go to that hut in this weather! what an idea!' said mrs. jones. 'most uncomfortableyou would be, with no one to look after you, and see to your wants, and cook for you this coldweather. no, no...'

'we're used to looking after ourselves,' said dick. 'we're awfully good at it, mrs. jones. and, myword, the food you've got up there is enough to feed an army! and there are cups and plates anddishes - and knives and forks - and all kinds of bedding...'

'we'd have a smashing time,' said george, joining in eagerly. 'i don't really want to go home, mrs.

jones. it's so lovely in these mountains - and if the snow comes down, as your morgan says, we'd beable to have winter sports all on our own!'

'oh, do say it's all right,' begged anne. 'we shall be quite safe and happy there - and we do promiseto come down here again if we can't manage, or if anything goes wrong.'

'i'll see that things go all right,' said julian, speaking in his most grown-up voice.

'well - well, it's a queer idea you have,' said mrs. jones, still taken aback. 'i'll have to talk to mymorgan about it first. now set you down and eat your meal. i'll get my morgan to decide.'

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she went out of the room, shaking her head, her mouth pursed up in disapproval. no fire! no hotmeals! no one to 'manage' for them. what a dreadful time those children would have up in that hut inthis weather!

the five set to work to demolish the good food on the table. george allowed timmy to sit up on achair too, and fed him with titbits for a treat. he was perfectly good and very well-mannered indeed.

'i almost expect him to hand me a plate of something!' said anne, with a giggle. 'tim, dear - do passme the salt!'

timmy put a paw on the table exactly as if he meant to obey anne, and george hastily made him putit down again! what a meal that was! the pork pie was so good that everyone had two slices, as wellas their boiled eggs. then they started on the cheese, which even timmy liked. there was very littleroom indeed for the apple pie that mrs. jones brought in at the end!

'my goodness - i forgot that an apple pie was coming,' said anne, in dismay, as the old womanwalked in with a tray on which was a big apple pie and a jug of cream.

'mrs. jones - when we were up at the hut, we saw such a funny little creature,' said dick. 'she saidher name was aily and she had a lamb and a...'

'oh, aily! that mad little thing!' said mrs. jones, picking up the dirty plates. 'she's the shepherd'sdaughter - a little truant she is, runs off from school, and hides away in the hills with her dog and herlamb. she always has a lamb each year - it follows her about everywhere. they say there isn't a rabbithole or a blackberry bush or a bird's nest that child doesn't know!'

'she was singing when we first saw her,' said julian. 'singing like a bird.'

'ah, yes - it's a lovely voice she has,' said mrs. jones. 'she's wild as a bird - there's nothing to be donewith her. if she's scolded she goes off for weeks, no one knows where. don't you let her come roundthat hut now, when you're there - she'll maybe steal from you!'

'oh, yes - the hut! have you spoken to morgan about it?' said dick, eagerly.

'yes, i have indeed,' said mrs. jones. 'and he says yes, to let you go. he doesn't want trouble with thedogs either. he says snow is coming for sure, but you'll be safe up there and you can take all yourtoboggans for there'll be a chance to use them! he'll help you up with your things.'

'oh good! thanks!' said julian, and the others smiled and looked at one another joyfully. 'thanksmost awfully, mrs. jones. we'll go tomorrow after breakfast!'

tomorrow! after breakfast! up to that lonely hut on the mountainside, just the five of them together.

what could be better than that?