enough adventures by now to teach us how to go about things like this! Ha - I shal look forward to tonight!"
Everyone suddenly felt much more cheerful, even Toby. He managed a very small smile, and stood up to brush the crumbs off his jersey.
„I"m going now," he said. „I"ve a lot of farm jobs to do this afternoon - I"l meet you at the big oak-tree behind the Butterfly Farm - did you notice it?"
„Yes - an enormous one," said Julian. „Right. Be there at - say - ten o"clock. No, eleven - it wil be dark by then, or almost."
„So long!" said Toby and plunged down the hil , accompanied for a little way by Timmy.
„Well - I feel much better now we"ve made a definite plan," said Dick. „My goodness, it"s half past five already! Don"t suggest tea, George - we had our lunch so late!"
„I wasn"t going to," said George. „We"ll miss it out and have a really good supper later on.
And don"t let"s forget to listen to the news at six o"clock - there might be some about Jeff and his friend Ray - and the aeroplanes."
So, just before six o"clock, they switched on the little radio set, and listened intently for the news. It came at last - and almost the first piece was about the stolen aeroplanes. The children listened, holding their breath, bending close to the set.
„The two aeroplanes stolen from Bil ycock Airfield last night, flown away by Flight-Lieutenant Jeffrey Thomas and Flight-Lieutenant Ray Wells, have been found. Both planes apparently crashed into the sea, but were seen, and there is a chance of their being salvaged. The pilots were not found, and are presumed to have been drowned. At Edinburgh this afternoon there was a grand rally of..."
Julian switched off the news and looked at the others soberly. „Well - that"s that! Crashed, both of them! That was because of the storm, I suppose. Well, at least no enemy wil be able to get hold of the new devices that were incorporated in the planes."
„But - that means Toby"s cousin is drowned - or kil ed," said Anne, her face very white.
„Yes. But remember, if he flew away in that plane, he was a traitor to his country," said Dick gravely. „And traitors deserve to die."
„But Toby"s cousin didn"t seem like a traitor," said George. „He seemed so - well, so very British, and I can"t say anything finer than that. I feel as if I shal never trust my judgment of anyone again. I liked him so very much."
„So did I," said Dick, frowning. „Well, these things happen - but I just wish it hadn"t been Toby"s cousin. He was such a hero to him. I don"t feel as if Toby wil ever be quite the same after this - it"s something so absolutely beastly!"
Nobody said anything for a little while. They were al profoundly shocked - not only by the idea of Cousin Jeff being a traitor, but also by the news that he had been drowned. It seemed such a horrible end to come to that bright-eyed, smiling your airman they had joked with only the other day - and yet it was an end that a traitor deserved - and that the other man deserved, too.
„Do you think we ought to pack up and go home?" said Anne. „I mean - won"t it be awkward for the Thomas"s to have us hanging round when they must feel shocked and unhappy?"
„No, we don"t need to bother them much at the farm," said Julian. „And I don"t think we can desert old Toby at the moment. It wil help him to have friends around, you know."
„Yes. You"re right," said Dick. „This is the sort of time to have good friends - poor old Toby.
He"l be knocked out by this last piece of news."
„Wil he be waiting for you at the old oak-tree tonight, do you think?" asked George.
„Don"t know," said Julian. „It doesn"t rnatter if he"s not there, anyway - Dick and I can do all the snooping round that is necessary. And it wil take our minds off this shock a bit - to try and solve the mystery down at Butterfly Farm!"
They went for a walk round the hil , with Timmy leaping over the heather in delight, He couldn"t understand the lack of
Everyone suddenly felt much more cheerful, even Toby. He managed a very small smile, and stood up to brush the crumbs off his jersey.
„I"m going now," he said. „I"ve a lot of farm jobs to do this afternoon - I"l meet you at the big oak-tree behind the Butterfly Farm - did you notice it?"
„Yes - an enormous one," said Julian. „Right. Be there at - say - ten o"clock. No, eleven - it wil be dark by then, or almost."
„So long!" said Toby and plunged down the hil , accompanied for a little way by Timmy.
„Well - I feel much better now we"ve made a definite plan," said Dick. „My goodness, it"s half past five already! Don"t suggest tea, George - we had our lunch so late!"
„I wasn"t going to," said George. „We"ll miss it out and have a really good supper later on.
And don"t let"s forget to listen to the news at six o"clock - there might be some about Jeff and his friend Ray - and the aeroplanes."
So, just before six o"clock, they switched on the little radio set, and listened intently for the news. It came at last - and almost the first piece was about the stolen aeroplanes. The children listened, holding their breath, bending close to the set.
„The two aeroplanes stolen from Bil ycock Airfield last night, flown away by Flight-Lieutenant Jeffrey Thomas and Flight-Lieutenant Ray Wells, have been found. Both planes apparently crashed into the sea, but were seen, and there is a chance of their being salvaged. The pilots were not found, and are presumed to have been drowned. At Edinburgh this afternoon there was a grand rally of..."
Julian switched off the news and looked at the others soberly. „Well - that"s that! Crashed, both of them! That was because of the storm, I suppose. Well, at least no enemy wil be able to get hold of the new devices that were incorporated in the planes."
„But - that means Toby"s cousin is drowned - or kil ed," said Anne, her face very white.
„Yes. But remember, if he flew away in that plane, he was a traitor to his country," said Dick gravely. „And traitors deserve to die."
„But Toby"s cousin didn"t seem like a traitor," said George. „He seemed so - well, so very British, and I can"t say anything finer than that. I feel as if I shal never trust my judgment of anyone again. I liked him so very much."
„So did I," said Dick, frowning. „Well, these things happen - but I just wish it hadn"t been Toby"s cousin. He was such a hero to him. I don"t feel as if Toby wil ever be quite the same after this - it"s something so absolutely beastly!"
Nobody said anything for a little while. They were al profoundly shocked - not only by the idea of Cousin Jeff being a traitor, but also by the news that he had been drowned. It seemed such a horrible end to come to that bright-eyed, smiling your airman they had joked with only the other day - and yet it was an end that a traitor deserved - and that the other man deserved, too.
„Do you think we ought to pack up and go home?" said Anne. „I mean - won"t it be awkward for the Thomas"s to have us hanging round when they must feel shocked and unhappy?"
„No, we don"t need to bother them much at the farm," said Julian. „And I don"t think we can desert old Toby at the moment. It wil help him to have friends around, you know."
„Yes. You"re right," said Dick. „This is the sort of time to have good friends - poor old Toby.
He"l be knocked out by this last piece of news."
„Wil he be waiting for you at the old oak-tree tonight, do you think?" asked George.
„Don"t know," said Julian. „It doesn"t rnatter if he"s not there, anyway - Dick and I can do all the snooping round that is necessary. And it wil take our minds off this shock a bit - to try and solve the mystery down at Butterfly Farm!"
They went for a walk round the hil , with Timmy leaping over the heather in delight, He couldn"t understand the lack of
Similar Books
