Five On Kirrin Island Again Chapter Seven A LITTLE SQUABBLE（在线收听）

Chapter Seven A LITTLE SQUABBLE

A sound made them turn. It was the boy's father coming up. He nodded to the children.

'Making friends?' he said, amiably. 'That's right. My boy's pretty lonely here. I hope you'll come up and see us some time. Finished your conversations SON?'

'Yes,' said the boy. 'This boy here says that island is his, and he's going to take me over it when his father has finished his work there -- and that won't be long.'

28

'And do you know the way through all those wicked rocks?' said the man. 'I shouldn't care to try it. I was talking to the fishermen the other day, and not one of them appeared to know the way!'

This was rather astonishing. Some of the fishermen did know it. Then the children remembered that  the  men  had  all  been  forbidden  to  take  anyone  to  the  island  while  Uncle  Quentin  was  at work there. It was clear that they had pretended not to know the way in loyalty to their orders.

'Did you want to go to the island then?' asked Dick, suddenly.

'Oh no! But my boy here would love to go,' said the man. 'I don't want to be seasick, bobbing up and down in those waves near the island. I'm a poor sailor. I never go on the sea if I can help it!'

'Well, we must go,' said Julian. 'We've got to do some shopping for my aunt. Good-bye!'

'Come  and  see  us  as  soon  as  you  can,'  said  the  man.  'I've  a  fine  television  set  that  Martin  here would like to show you. Any afternoon you like!'

'Oh thanks!' said George. She seldom saw television. 'We'll come!'

They parted, and the four children and Timmy went on down the cliff-path.

'Whatever  made  you  sound  so  rude,  Dick?'  said  George.  'The  way  you  said  "What's  that  to  do with you?" sounded quite insulting.'

'Well -- I just felt suspicious, that's all,' said Dick. 'That boy seemed to be so jolly interested in the island and in your father's work, and when it would be finished.'

'Why shouldn't he be?' demanded George. 'Everyone in the village is interested. They all know about the tower and all the boy wanted to know was when he could go to my island - that's why he asked when Father's work would be finished. I liked him.'

'You  only  liked  him  because  he  was  ass  enough  to  think  you  were  a  boy,'  said  Dick.  'Jolly girlish-looking boy you are, that's all I can say.'

George flared up at once. 'Don't be mean! I'm not girlish-looking. I've far more freckles than you have, for one thing, and better eyebrows. And I can make my voice go deep.'

'You're just silly,' said Dick, in disgust. 'As if freckles are boyish! Girls have them just as much as boys. I don't believe that boy thought you were a boy at all. He was just sucking up to you. He must have heard how much you like playing at being what you aren't.'

George walked up to Dick with such a furious look on her face that Julian hastily put himself in between them.

'Now,  no  brawls,'  he  said.  'You're  both  too  old  to  begin  slapping  each  other  like  kids  in  the nursery. Let me tell you, you're both behaving like babies, not like boys or gins!'

29

Anne was looking on with scared eyes. George didn't go off the deep end like this usually. And it was funny of Dick to have spoken so rudely to the boy on the cliff. Timmy gave a sudden little whine. His tail was down, and he looked very miserable.

'Oh  George  -  Timmy  can't  bear  you  to  quarrel  with  Dick!'  said  Anne.  'Look  at  him!  He's  just miserable!'

'He didn't like that boy a hit,' said Dick. 'That was another thing I thought was funny. If Timmy doesn't like a person, I don't like him either.'

'Timmy doesn't always rush round new people,' said George. 'He didn't growl or snarl, anyway.

All  right,  all  right,  Julian,  I'm  not  going  to  start  brawling.  But  I  do  think  Dick  is  being  silly.

Making a mountain out of a molehill - just because someone was interested in Kirrin Island and Father's work, and just because Timmy didn't caper all round him. He was such a solemn sort of boy that I'm not surprised Timmy wasn't all over him. He probably knew the boy wouldn't like it.

Timmy's clever like that.'

'Oh, do stop,' said Dick. 'I give in - gracefully! I may be making a fuss. Probably am. I couldn't help my feelings, though.'

Anne gave a sigh of relief. The squabble was over. She hoped it wouldn't crop up again. George had been very touchy since she had been home. If only Uncle Quentin would hurry up and finish his work, and they could all go to the island as much as they liked, things would be all right.

'I'd rather like to see that television Set,' said George. 'We might go up some afternoon.'

'Right,'  said  Julian.  'But,  on  the  whole,  I  think  it  would  be  best  if  we  steered  clear  of  any  talk about your father's work. Not that we know much. Still, we do know that once before there were people after one of his theories. The secrets of the scientists are very, very important these days, you know, George. Scientists are V.I.P.!'

'What's V.I.P.?' asked Anne.

'Very  Important People, baby!' said Julian, with a laugh. 'What did  you think, it meant? Violet, Indigo, Purple? I guess those are the colours. Uncle Quentin would go mad if he knew anyone was trying to snoop into his secrets!'

Everyone laughed, even George. She looked affectionately at Julian. He was always so sensible and good-tempered. She really would go by what he said.

30

The  day  passed  swiftly.  The  weather  cleared  and  the  sun  came  out  strongly.  The  air  smelt  of gorse  and  primroses  and  the  salt  of  the  sea.  Lovely!  They  went  shopping  for  Aunt  Fanny,  and stopped to talk with James, the fisher-boy.

'Your father's got the island, I see,' he said to George with a grin. 'Bad luck, Miss. You'll not be going over there so often. And nobody else will, either, so I've heard.'

'That's  right,' said  George. 'Nobody is  allowed to  go over there for some  time. Did  you help  to take some of the stuff over, James?'

'Yes. I know the way, you see, because I've been with you,' 'said James. 'Well, Miss, how did you find your boat when you went across yesterday? I got her all shipshape for you, didn't I?'

'Yes,  you  did,  James,'  said  George,  warmly.  'You  made  her  look  beautiful.  You  must  come across to the island with us next time we go.'

'Thanks,' said James, his ready grin showing all his white teeth.  'Like to  leave Timmy with me for a week or two? See how he wants to stay!'

George  laughed.  She  knew  James  was  only  joking.  He  was  very  fond  of  Timmy,  though,  and Timmy  adored  James.  He  was  now  pushing  himself  hard  against  the  fisher-boy's  knees,  and trying  to  put  his  nose  into  his  brown  hand.  Timmy  had  never  forgotten  the  time  when  James looked after him so well.

The evening came, and the bay was softly blue. Little white horses flecked it here and there. The four  gazed  across  to  Kirrin  Island.  It  always  looked  so  lovely  at  this  time  of  the  evening.  The glass  top  of  the  tower  winked  and  blinked  in  the  sun.  It  looked  almost  as  if  someone  was signaling.  But  there  was  no-one  in  the  little  glass  room.  As  the  children  watched  they  heard  a faint rumbling sound, and suddenly the top of the tower was ablaze with a curious glare.

'Look!  That's  what  happened  yesterday!'  said  Julian,  in  excitement.  'Your  father's  at  work  all right, George. I do wonder what he's doing!'

Then  there  came  a  throbbing  sound,  almost  like  the  noise  of  an  aeroplane,  and  once  more  the glass top of the tower shone and blazed, as the wires became full of some curious power.

'Weird,'  said  Dick.  'A  bit  frightening  too.  Where's  your  father  at  this  very  moment,  I  wonder, George. How I'd like to know!'

'I bet he's forgotten all about meals again,' said George. 'Didn't he wolf our sandwiches - he must have been starving. I wish he'd let Mother go over there and look after him.'

31

Her mother came in at that moment. 'Did you hear the noise?' she said. 'I suppose that was your father at work again. Oh dear, I hope he doesn't blow himself up one of these days!'

'Aunt  Fanny,  can  I  stay  up  till  half  past  ten  tonight?'  asked  Anne,  hopefully.  'To  see  Uncle Quentin's signal, you know?'

'Good gracious, no!' said her aunt. 'No one needs to stay up. I am quite capable of watching for it myself!'

'Oh Aunt Fanny! Surely I and Dick can stay up!' said Julian. 'After all, we're not in bed till ten at school.'

'Yes - but this is half past ten, and you wouldn't even be in bed then,' said his aunt. 'There's no reason  why  you  shouldn't  lie  in  bed  and  watch  for  it  though,  if  you  want  to  -  providing  you haven't fallen asleep!'

'Oh yes - I can do that,' said Julian. 'My window looks across to Kirrin Island. Six flashes with a lantern I shall count them carefully.'

So the four went to bed at the usual time. Anne was asleep long before half past ten, and George was so drowsy that she could not make herself get up and go into the boys' room. But Dick and Julian were both wide awake. They lay in their beds and looked out of the window. There was no moon, but the sky was clear, and the stars shone down, giving a faint light. The sea looked very black. There was no sign of Kirrin Island. It was lost in the darkness of the night.

'Almost half past ten,' said Julian, looking at his watch, which had luminous hands. 'Now then, Uncle Quentin, what about it?' Almost as if his uncle was answering him, a light shone out in the glass top of the tower. It was a clear, small light, like the light of a lantern.

Julian began to count. 'One flash.' There was a pause. 'Two flashes.' Another pause. 'Three, four, five six!' The flashes stopped. Julian snuggled down into bed.

'Well, that's that. Uncle Quentin's all right.  I say, it's  weird to think of him climbing that spiral stairway right to the top of the tower, in the dark of night, isn't it? Just to mess about with those wires.'  'Mmmmm,'  said  Dick,  sleepily.  'I  rather  he  did  it,  than  I!  You  can  be  a  scientist  if  you like,  Ju  --  but  I  don't  want  --  to  climb  towers  in  the  dead  of  night  on  a  lonely  island.  I'd  like Timmy there, at least.'

Someone  knocked  on  their  door  and  it  opened.  Julian  sat  up  at  once.  It  was  Aunt  Fanny.  'Oh Julian dear - did you see the flashes? I forgot to count them. Were there six?'

32

'Oh yes, Aunt Fanny! I'd have rushed down to tell you if anything was wrong. Uncle's all right.

Don't you worry!'

'I wish I'd told him to do an extra flash to tell me if he's had some of that nice soup,' said his aunt.

'Well, good night, Julian. Sleep well!'