Mystery Penta

11-FUN AT THE CIRCUS CAMP

Next morning, while Anne cleared up the breakfast things with Robert, and Harry went off to the farm to buy whatever the farmer's wife had ready for him, James took the field- glasses and sat on the ledge to watch for Nobby to go out on the lake in his boat.

Harry sauntered along, whistling. The farmer's wife was delighted to see him, and showed him two big baskets full of delicious food.

'Slices of ham I've cured myself,' she said, lifting up the white cloth that covered one of the baskets. 'And a pot of brawn I've made. Keep it in a cool place. And some fresh lettuces and radishes I pulled myself this morning early. And some more tomatoes.'

'How gorgeous!' said Harry, eyeing the food in delight. 'Just the kind of things we love! Thanks awfully, Mrs Mackie. What's in the other basket?'

'Eggs, butter, milk, and a tin of shortbread I've baked,' said Mrs Mackie. 'You should do all right till tomorrow, the four of you! And in that paper there are some sunflower seeds for the Bird.'

'How much do I owe you?' asked Harry. He paid his bill and took up the baskets. Mrs Mackie slipped a bag into his pocket.

'Just a few home-made sweets,' she said. That was her little present. Harry grinned at her.

'Well, I won't offer to pay you for them because I'm afraid of that rolling-pin of yours,' he said. 'But thank you very, very much.'

He went off delighted. He thought of Anne's pleasure when she came to unpack the baskets. How she would love to put the things in the little larder — and pop the butter in a dish set in a bowl of cold water — and set the eggs in the little rack!

When he got back James called to him: 'Nobby's out in his boat. Come and look. He's waving something that can't possibly be a hanky. It must be the sheet off his bed!'

'Nobby doesn't sleep in sheets,' said Anne. 'He didn't know what they were when he saw them in our bunks. Perhaps it's a table-cloth.'

'Anyway, it's something big, to tell us that it's absolutely all right to come down to the camp,' said James. 'Are we ready?'

'Not quite,' said Anne, unpacking the baskets Harry had brought. 'I must put away these things — and do you want to take a picnic lunch with you? Because if so I must prepare it. Oh — look at all these gorgeous things!'

They all came back to look. 'Mrs Mackie is a darling,' said Anne. 'Honestly, these things are super — look at this gorgeous ham. It smells heavenly.'

'Here's her little present — homemade sweets,' said Harry, remembering them and taking them out of his pocket. 'Have one?'

Anne had everything ready in half an hour. They had decided to take a picnic lunch with them for themselves and for Nobby as well. They took their bathing-things and towels, too.

'Are we going to take Fawkes or not?' said Robert. 'I want to. But as these two men seem rather interested in our caravans, perhaps we had better leave him on guard again. We don't want to come back and find the caravans damaged or half the things stolen.'

'I should think not!' said Harry. 'They're not our things, nor our caravans. They belong to somebody else and we've got to take extra good care of them. I think we ought to leave Fawkes on guard, don't you, James?'

'Yes, I do,' said James at once. 'These caravans are too valuable to leave at the mercy of any passing tramp — though I suppose we could lock them up. Anyway — we'll leave Fawkes on guard today — poor old Fawkes, it's a shame, isn't it?'