FIVE ON A HIKE TOGETHER by Enid Blyton

07 IN THE MORNING

Dick stood up and stretched himself. He felt dirty and untidy. Also he was very hungry. He wondered if the old woman would let him buy some bread and cheese and a glass of milk.

"Anne must be hungry too," he thought "I wonder if she's all right." He went cautiously outside and looked up at the tiny window of the loft where Anne had spent the night. Her anxious face was already there, watching for Dick!

"Are you all right, Anne?" called Dick, in a low tone. She pushed open the tiny window and smiled at him.

"Yes. But I daren't go down because that son is downstairs. I can hear him shouting at the deaf old woman every now and again. He sounds very bad-tempered."

"I'll wait for him to go out to his work then, before I go and see the old woman," said Dick. "I must pay her something for letting you sleep up in that loft - and perhaps I can persuade her to let us have something to eat."

"I wish you could," said Anne. "I've eaten all the chocolate I had in my bag. Shall I wait till I hear you call me?"

Dick nodded and disappeared into the barn in a hurry. He had heard footsteps!

A man came into sight - a broad, short, hunched-up man, with a shock of untidy hair. He was the man that Dick had seen in the barn the night before. He was muttering to himself and looked very bad-tempered indeed. Dick decided to keep out of his way. He crouched down in the barn.

But the man did not go in there. He walked past, still muttering. Dick listened for his footsteps to die away. He heard the opening of a gate somewhere, then it crashed behind the man.

'I'd better take my chance now," thought Dick, and he went quickly out of the barn and up to the little white house. It looked very tumble-down and neglected in the daylight, and had a most forlorn air.

Dick knew that it was no good knocking, because the old woman wouldn't hear him. So he walked right into the house and found the woman washing up a few dishes in a cracked old sink. She stared at him in dismay.

'I'd forgotten about you! And the girl too! Is she still up there? Get her down quickly before my son comes back! And then go, both of you!"

"Can you sell us some bread and cheese?" shouted Dick But the old woman really was stone deaf, and all she did was to push Dick away towards the door, jabbing at him with the wet cloth in her hand. Dick slipped aside and pointed to some bread on a table,

"No, no - I tell you, you're to go," said the old woman, obviously terrified in case her son should come back "Get the girl, quickly!"

But before Dick could do anything, there were footsteps outside and in came the hunched-up fellow with the shock of hair! He was back already, holding some eggs he had been to find.

He walked into the kitchen and stared at Dick. "Clear out!" he said, angrily. "What do you want here?"

Dick thought he had better not say he had slept the night in the barn. There were queer goings-on here, and the man might be very savage if he knew Dick had slept the night nearby.

"I wanted to know if your mother could sell us some bread," he said, and could have bitten his tongue out. He had said 'us'! Now the man would guess there was someone with him.

"Us? Who's 'us'?" said the man, looking round. "You fetch him and I'll tell you both what I do to boys who come stealing my eggs!"

"I'll go and fetch him," said Dick, seizing the chance to get away. He ran to the door. The man made a clumsy dart at him and almost caught him. But Dick was out and away, running down the path. He hid behind a shed, his heart thumping. He had to wait for Anne. Somehow he had to go back and get her.