Mystery Penta

5-The Way to Cranmer Lake

The next three or four days were absolutely perfect, the children thought. Blue skies, blazing sun, wayside streams to paddle or bathe in, and two houses on wheels that went rumbling for miles down roads and lanes quite new to them — what could be lovelier for four children all on their own?

Fawkes seemed to enjoy everything thoroughly, too, and had made firm friends with Trotter, the little black horse. Trotter was always looking for Fawkes to glide  beside him, and he whinnied to Fawkes whenever he wanted him. The two horses were friends, too, and when they were set free at night they made for the stream together, and stood in the water side by side, nuzzling one another happily. 

*

'I like this holiday better than any we've ever had,' said Anne, busily cooking something in a pan. 'It's exciting without being adventurous. And although James  thinks he's in charge of us, I am really! You'd never get your bunks made, or your meals cooked, or the caravans kept clean if it wasn't for me!' 

'Don't boast!' said Robert, feeling rather guilty because she let Anne do so much. 

'I'm not boasting!' said Anne, indignantly. 'I'm just telling the truth. Why, you've never even made your own bunk once, Robert. Not that I mind doing it. I love having two houses on wheels to look after.' 

You're a very good little housekeeper,' said James. 'We couldn't possibly do without you!' 

Anne blushed with pride. She took the pan off the camp-fire and put the contents on to four plates. 'Come along!' she called, in a voice just like her mother's. 'Have your meal while it's hot.'

'I'd rather have mine when it's cold, thank you,' said Robert . 'It doesn't seem to have got a bit cooler, even though it's evening-time.' 

They had been on the road four days now, and Anne had given up looking for the hills where they hoped to find the circus folk camping. In fact she secretly hoped they wouldn't find them, because she was so much enjoying the daily wanderings over the lovely countryside.

Fawkes came to lick the plates. The children always let him do that now because it made them so much easier to wash. Anne and Robert took the things down to a little brown brook to rinse, and Julian took out his map. 

He and Harry  pored over it. 'We're just about here,' said James, pointing. 'And if so, it looks as if tomorrow we ought to come to those hills above the lake. Then we should see the circus.' 

'Good!' said Harry. 'I hope Nobby will be there. He would love to show us round, I'm sure. He would show us a good place to camp, too, perhaps.'

'Oh, we can find that ourselves,' said James, who now rather prided himself on picking excellent camping-sites. 'Anyway, I don't want to be too near the circus. It might be a bit smelly. I'd rather be up in the hills some way above it. We'll get a place with a lovely view.' 

Right,' said Harry, and James  folded up the map. The two girls came back with the clean crockery, and Anne put it neatly back on the shelves in the red caravan. Trotter came to look for Fawkes, who was sitting having rest in the shade under Robert's caravan. 

Fawkes wouldn't budge, so Trotter tried to get under the caravan too. But he couldn't possibly, of course, for he was much too big. So he lay down on the shady side, as near to Fawkes as he could get. 

Trotter's really a comic horse,' said . 'He'd be quite good in a circus, I should think! Did you see him chasing Timmy yesterday — just as if they were playing "Eh"?'

 The word 'circus' reminded them of Nobby and his circus, and they began to talk eagerly of all the animals there. 

I liked the look of the elephant,' said Robert. 'I wonder what his name is. And wouldn't I like to hold a monkey!'