[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
We must take the train to Croydon, ' said Anthea, and find Aunt
Emma. '
Yes, ' said Cyril, and precious pleased those Jevonses would be to
see us and our traps. '
Aunt Emma, indeed, was staying with some Jevonses very prim
people. They were middle-aged and wore very smart blouses, and
they were fond of matinees and shopping, and they did not care
about children.
103
The Phoenix and the Carpet
I know MOTHER would be pleased to see us if we went back, ' said
Jane.
Yes, she would, but she d think it was not right to show she was
pleased, because it s Bob s fault we re not met. Don t I know the sort
of thing? ' said Cyril. Besides, we ve no tin. No; we ve got enough
for a growler among us, but not enough for tickets to the New
Forest. We must just go home. They won t be so savage when they
find we ve really got home all right. You know auntie was only
going to take us home in a cab. '
I believe we ought to go to Croydon, ' Anthea insisted.
Aunt Emma would be out to a dead cert, ' said Robert. Those
Jevonses go to the theatre every afternoon, I believe. Besides, there s
the Phoenix at home, AND the carpet. I votes we call a four-wheeled
cabman. '
A four-wheeled cabman was called his cab was one of the old-
fashioned kind with straw in the bottom and he was asked by
Anthea to drive them very carefully to their address. This he did,
and the price he asked for doing so was exactly the value of the gold
coin grandpapa had given Cyril for Christmas. This cast a gloom; but
Cyril would never have stooped to argue about a cab- fare, for fear
the cabman should think he was not accustomed to take cabs
whenever he wanted them. For a reason that was something like this
he told the cabman to put the luggage on the steps, and waited till
the wheels of the growler had grittily retired before he rang the bell.
You see, ' he said, with his hand on the handle, we don t want cook
and Eliza asking us before HIM how it is we ve come home alone, as
if we were babies. '
Here he rang the bell; and the moment its answering clang was
heard, every one felt that it would be some time before that bell was
answered. The sound of a bell is quite different, somehow, when
there is anyone inside the house who hears it. I can t tell you why
that is but so it is.
I expect they re changing their dresses, ' said Jane.
Too late, ' said Anthea, it must be past five. I expect Eliza s gone to
post a letter, and cook s gone to see the time. '
104
The Phoenix and the Carpet
Cyril rang again. And the bell did its best to inform the listening
children that there was really no one human in the house. They rang
again and listened intently. The hearts of all sank low. It is a terrible
thing to be locked out of your own house, on a dark, muggy January
evening.
There is no gas on anywhere, ' said Jane, in a broken voice.
I expect they ve left the gas on once too often, and the draught blew
it out, and they re suffocated in their beds. Father always said they
would some day, ' said Robert cheerfully.
Let s go and fetch a policeman, ' said Anthea, trembling.
And be taken up for trying to be burglars no, thank you, ' said
Cyril. I heard father read out of the paper about a young man who
got into his own mother s house, and they got him made a burglar
only the other day. '
I only hope the gas hasn t hurt the Phoenix, ' said Anthea. It said it
wanted to stay in the bathroom cupboard, and I thought it would be
all right, because the servants never clean that out. But if it s gone
and got out and been choked by gas And besides, directly we open
the door we shall be choked, too. I KNEW we ought to have gone to
Aunt Emma, at Croydon. Oh, Squirrel, I wish we had. Let s go
NOW. '
Shut up, ' said her brother, briefly. There s some one rattling the
latch inside. ' Every one listened with all its ears, and every one
stood back as far from the door as the steps would allow.
The latch rattled, and clicked. Then the flap of the letter-box lifted
itself every one saw it by the flickering light of the gas-lamp that
shone through the leafless lime-tree by the gate a golden eye [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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We must take the train to Croydon, ' said Anthea, and find Aunt
Emma. '
Yes, ' said Cyril, and precious pleased those Jevonses would be to
see us and our traps. '
Aunt Emma, indeed, was staying with some Jevonses very prim
people. They were middle-aged and wore very smart blouses, and
they were fond of matinees and shopping, and they did not care
about children.
103
The Phoenix and the Carpet
I know MOTHER would be pleased to see us if we went back, ' said
Jane.
Yes, she would, but she d think it was not right to show she was
pleased, because it s Bob s fault we re not met. Don t I know the sort
of thing? ' said Cyril. Besides, we ve no tin. No; we ve got enough
for a growler among us, but not enough for tickets to the New
Forest. We must just go home. They won t be so savage when they
find we ve really got home all right. You know auntie was only
going to take us home in a cab. '
I believe we ought to go to Croydon, ' Anthea insisted.
Aunt Emma would be out to a dead cert, ' said Robert. Those
Jevonses go to the theatre every afternoon, I believe. Besides, there s
the Phoenix at home, AND the carpet. I votes we call a four-wheeled
cabman. '
A four-wheeled cabman was called his cab was one of the old-
fashioned kind with straw in the bottom and he was asked by
Anthea to drive them very carefully to their address. This he did,
and the price he asked for doing so was exactly the value of the gold
coin grandpapa had given Cyril for Christmas. This cast a gloom; but
Cyril would never have stooped to argue about a cab- fare, for fear
the cabman should think he was not accustomed to take cabs
whenever he wanted them. For a reason that was something like this
he told the cabman to put the luggage on the steps, and waited till
the wheels of the growler had grittily retired before he rang the bell.
You see, ' he said, with his hand on the handle, we don t want cook
and Eliza asking us before HIM how it is we ve come home alone, as
if we were babies. '
Here he rang the bell; and the moment its answering clang was
heard, every one felt that it would be some time before that bell was
answered. The sound of a bell is quite different, somehow, when
there is anyone inside the house who hears it. I can t tell you why
that is but so it is.
I expect they re changing their dresses, ' said Jane.
Too late, ' said Anthea, it must be past five. I expect Eliza s gone to
post a letter, and cook s gone to see the time. '
104
The Phoenix and the Carpet
Cyril rang again. And the bell did its best to inform the listening
children that there was really no one human in the house. They rang
again and listened intently. The hearts of all sank low. It is a terrible
thing to be locked out of your own house, on a dark, muggy January
evening.
There is no gas on anywhere, ' said Jane, in a broken voice.
I expect they ve left the gas on once too often, and the draught blew
it out, and they re suffocated in their beds. Father always said they
would some day, ' said Robert cheerfully.
Let s go and fetch a policeman, ' said Anthea, trembling.
And be taken up for trying to be burglars no, thank you, ' said
Cyril. I heard father read out of the paper about a young man who
got into his own mother s house, and they got him made a burglar
only the other day. '
I only hope the gas hasn t hurt the Phoenix, ' said Anthea. It said it
wanted to stay in the bathroom cupboard, and I thought it would be
all right, because the servants never clean that out. But if it s gone
and got out and been choked by gas And besides, directly we open
the door we shall be choked, too. I KNEW we ought to have gone to
Aunt Emma, at Croydon. Oh, Squirrel, I wish we had. Let s go
NOW. '
Shut up, ' said her brother, briefly. There s some one rattling the
latch inside. ' Every one listened with all its ears, and every one
stood back as far from the door as the steps would allow.
The latch rattled, and clicked. Then the flap of the letter-box lifted
itself every one saw it by the flickering light of the gas-lamp that
shone through the leafless lime-tree by the gate a golden eye [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]