Five On Kirrin Island Again Chapter One A LETTER FOR GEORGE（在线收听）

Chapter One A LETTER FOR GEORGE

ANNE  was  trying  to  do  some  of  her  prep.  in  a  corner  of  the  common-room  when  her  cousin George came bursting in.

George was not a boy; she was a girl called Georgina, but because she had always wanted to be a boy she insisted on being called George. So George she was. She wore her curly hair cut short, and her bright blue eyes gleamed angrily now as she came towards Anne.

'Anne! I've just had a letter from home - and what do you think? Father wants to go and live on my island to do some special work  - and he wants to build a sort of tower or something in the castle yard!' The other girls looked up in amusement, and Anne held out her hand for the letter that  George  was  waving  at  her.  Everyone  knew  about  the  little  island  off  Kirrin  Bay  that belonged to George. Kirrin Island was a tiny place with an old ruined castle in the middle of it: the home of rabbits and gulls and jackdaws.

It  had  underground  dungeons,  in  which  George  and  her  cousins  had  had  one  or  two  amazing adventures.  It  had  once  belonged  to  George's  mother,  and  she  had  given  it  to  George  -  and George  was  very  fierce  where  her  precious  Kirrin  Island  was  concerned!  It  was  hers.  Nobody else must live there, or even land there without her permission.

And now, dear me, here was her father proposing to go to her island, and even build some sort of workshop there! George was red with exasperation.

'It's  just  like  grown-ups;  they  go  and  give  you  things,  and  then  act  as  though  the  things  were theirs all the time. I don't want Father living on my island, and building nasty messy sheds and things there.'

'Oh George - you know your father is a very famous scientist, who needs to work in peace,' said Anne, taking the letter. 'Surely you can lend him your island for a bit?'

'There are plenty of other places where he can work in peace,' said George. 'Oh dear  - I was so hoping  we  could  go  and  stay  there  in  the  Easter  holls  -  take  our  boat  there,  and  food  and everything, just like we've done before. Now we shan't be able to if Father really does go there.'

Anne read the letter. It was from George's mother.

'My darling George, 'I think  I must tell  you at once that  your Father proposes to live on Kirrin Island for some little time in order to finish some very important experiments he is making. He 2

will have to have some kind of building erected there - a sort of tower, I believe. Apparently he needs a place where he can have absolute peace and isolation, and also, for some reason, where there  is  water  all  round  him.  The  fact  of  being  surrounded  by  water  is  necessary  to  his experiment. 'Now, dear, don't be upset about this. I know that you consider Kirrin Island is your very  own,  but  you  must  allow  your  family  to  share  it,  especially  when  it  is  for  something  as important as your father's scientific work. Father thinks you will be very pleased indeed to lend him Kirrin Island, but I know your funny feelings about it, so I thought I had better write and tell you, before you arrive home and see him installed there, complete with his tower.'

The letter then went on about other things, but Anne did not bother to read these. She looked at George.

'Oh, George! I don't see why you mind your father borrowing Kirrin Island for a bit! I wouldn't mind my father borrowing an island from me - if I was lucky enough to have one!'

'Your  father  would  talk  to  you  about  it  first,  and  ask  your  permission,  and  see  if  you  minded,'

said  George,  sulkily.  'My  father  never  does  anything  like  that.  He  just  does  exactly  as  he  likes without asking anybody anything. I really do think he might have written to me himself. He just puts my back up.'

'You've got a back that is very easily put up, 'George,' said Anne, laughing. 'Don't scowl at me like that. I'm not borrowing your island without your gracious permission.

But George wouldn't smile back. She took her letter and read it again gloomily. 'To think that all my lovely holiday plans are spoilt!' she said. 'You know how super Kirrin Island is at Easter time

- all primroses  and gorse and baby  rabbits.  And you and Julian and Dick were coming to  stay, and we haven't stayed together since last summer when we went caravanning.'

'I know. It is hard luck!' said Anne. 'It would have been wizard to go and stay on the island these holls. But perhaps your father wouldn't mind if we did? We needn't disturb him.'

'As  if  living  on  Kirrin  Island  with  Father  there  would  be  the  same  as  living  there  all  by ourselves,' said George, scornfully. 'You know it would be horrid.'

Well,  yes  -  Anne  didn't  think  on  the  whole  that  Kirrin  Island  would  be  much  fun  with  Uncle Quentin there. George's father was such a hot-tempered, impatient man, and when he was in the middle of one of his experiments he was quite unbearable. The least noise upset him.

'Oh dear - how he will yell at the jackdaws to keep quiet, and shout at the noisy gulls!' said Anne, beginning to giggle.

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'He won't find Kirrin quite so peaceful as he imagines!' George gave a watery sort of smile. She folded up the letter and turned away.

'Well, I think it's just the limit,' she said. 'I wouldn't have felt so bad if only Father had asked my permission.'

'He'd never do that!' said Anne. 'It just wouldn't occur to him. Now George, don't spend the rest of  the  day  brooding  over  your  wrongs,  for  goodness'  sake.  Go  down  to  the  kennels  and  fetch Timmy. He'll soon cheer you up.'

Timothy was George's dog, whom she loved with all her heart. He was a big brown mongrel dog, with a ridiculously long tail, and a wide mouth that really seemed to smile. All the four cousins loved  him.  He  was  so  friendly  and  loving,  so  lively  and  amusing,  and  he  had  shared  so  very many adventures with them all. The five of them had had many happy times together.

George went to get Timmy. Her school allowed the children to keep their own pets. If it hadn't allowed this, it is quite certain that George would not have gone to boarding-school! She could not bear to be parted from Timmy for even a day.

Timmy began to bark excitedly as soon as she came near. George lost her sulky look and smiled.

Dear Timmy, dear trustable Timmy - he was better than any person! He was always on her side, always her friend whatever she did, and to Timmy there was no one in the world so wonderful as George.

They  were  soon  going  through  the  fields  together.  George  talked  to  Timmy  as  she  always  did.

She  told  him  her  father  borrowing  Kirrin  Island.  Timmy  listened  every  word  she  said  as  if  he understood everything. Timmy knew when George was upset. He would not leave his mistress's side, not even when a rabbit shot his path. He gave her hand a few little licks every now and by the time that George was back at school again she felt much better. She took Timmy into school with smuggling him in at a side door. Dogs were not allowed in the school building, but George, like her father, often did exactly as she liked.

She hurried Timmy up to her dormitory. He scuttled under her bed quickly and lay down. His tail thumped the floor gently. He knew what this meant. George wanted the comfort of his nearness that  night!  He  would  be  able  to  jump  on  her  bed,  when  lights  were  out,  and  snuggle  into  the crook of her knees. His brown eyes gleamed with delight.

'Now, lie quiet,' said George, and went out of the room to join the other girls. She found Anne, who  was  busy  writing  a  letter  to  her  brothers,  Julian  and  Dick,  at  their  boarding-school.

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'I've told them about  Kirrin  Island, and  your father wanting to  borrow it,' she said.  'Would  you like  to  come  and  stay  with  us,  George,  these  holls,  instead  of  us  coming  to  Kirrin?  Then  you won't feel cross all the time because your father is on your island.'

'No thanks,' said George, at once. 'I'm going home. I want to keep an eye on Father! I don't want him  blowing  up  Kirrin  Island  with  one  of  his  experiments.  You  know  he's  messing  about  with explosives now, don't you?'

'Ooooh - atom bombs, or things like that?' said Anne.

'I don't know,' said George. 'Anyway, quite apart from keeping an eye on Father and my island, we ought to go and stay at Kirrin to keep Mother company. She'll be all alone if Father's on the island. I suppose he'll take food and everything there.'

'Well, there's one thing, we shan't have to creep about on tiptoe and whisper, if your father isn't at Kirrin Cottage!' said Anne. 'We can be as noisy as we like. Do cheer up, George!'

But it took George quite a long time to  get over the fit of gloom caused by her mother's letter.

Even having Timmy on her bed each night, till he was discovered by an angry teacher, did not quite make up for her disappointment.

The  term  ran  swiftly  on  to  its  end.  April  came  in,  with  sunshine  and  showers.  Holidays  came nearer and nearer! Anne thought joyfully of Kirrin, with its lovely sandy beach, its blue sea, its fishing-boats and its lovely cliffside walks.

Julian and Dick thought longingly of them too. This term both they and the girls broke up on the same day. They could meet in London and travel down to Kirrin together. Hurrah! The day came at last. Trunks were piled in the hail. Cars arrived to fetch some of the children who lived fairly near.  The  school  coaches  drew  up  to  take  the  others  down  to  the  station.  There  was  a  terrific noise of yelling and shouting everywhere. The teachers could not make themselves heard in the din.

'Anyone  would  think  that  every  single  child  had  gone  completely  mad,'  said  one  of  them  to another. 'Oh, thank goodness, they're getting into the coaches. George! Must you rush along the corridor at sixty miles an hour, with Timmy barking his head off all the time!'

'Yes, I must, I must!' cried George. 'Anne, where are you? Do come and get into the coach. I've got Timmy. He knows it's holidays now. Come on, Tim!'

Down to the station went the singing crowd of children. They piled into the train.

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'Bags I this seat! Who's taken my bag? Get out, Hetty, you know you can't bring your dog in here with mine.

They fight like anything. Hurrah, the guard's blowing his whistle! We're off!' The engine pulled slowly out of the station, its long train of carriages behind it, filled to bursting with girls off for their holidays.  Through the quiet  countryside it  went,  through small  towns  and villages, and  at last ran through the smoky outskirts of London

'The boys' train is due in two minutes before ours,' said Anne, leaning out of the window, as the train drew slowly into the London station. 'If it was punctual, they might be on our platform to meet  us.  Oh  look,  George,  look  -  there  they  are!'  George  hung  out  of  the  window  too.  'Hie, Julian!' she yelled. 'Here we are! Hie, Dick; Julian!'