FIVE GO OFF IN A CARAVAN

11 FUN AT THE CIRCUS CAMP

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

 Dick 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 Dick, 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 is a bone for the dog.'

'How much do I owe you?' asked Dick. 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. Dick 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 Julian called to him: 'Hobby'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 Julian. 'Are we ready?'

 'Not quite,' said Anne, unpacking the baskets Dick 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 Dick, 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 Timmy or not?' said George. '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 Dick. '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 Timmy on guard, don't you, Ju?'

 'Yes, I do,' said Julian 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 Timmy on guard today, poor old Timmy, it's a shame, isn't it?'

Timmy didn't answer. He looked gloomy and miserable. What! They were all going off without him again? He knew what 'on guard' meant, he was to stay here with these houses on wheels till the children chose to come back. He badly wanted to see Pongo again. He stood with his ears and tail drooping, the picture of misery.