they must deal with my uncle. I hope they will not kill him. He is nice, my uncle.’
‘I sincerely hope they won’t do anything of the sort,’ said Philip. ‘You’d have to be King then, Gussy. How I’d hate to be a King! Always having to be on my best behaviour, never to lose my temper or do a thing that was wrong or impolite, having to be nice to people I hated, and . . .’
‘Why isn’t your father King?’ asked Dinah. ‘Why are you the heir to the throne?’
‘My father is dead,’ said Gussy. ‘There is only my mother, and in our country women are not allowed to rule. So one day I must be King. I shall like it.’
‘Well—you like ordering people about, and showing off,’ said Dinah. ‘So I suppose it’ll suit you. But I can’t say you’re my idea of a King. Oh dear—I wish this hadn’t happened. All our Easter hols spoiled!’
‘I hate all this,’ said Lucy-Ann, dismally. ‘I’m cold, and now I’m sleepy.’
‘Cuddle up to me,’ said Dinah. ‘After all, it’s the middle of the night, so we ought to feel sleepy. I do too. Let’s go to sleep. It will make the night seem shorter.’
‘I could go to sleep at once if I didn’t keep thinking of Bill and Aunt Allie,’ said Lucy-Ann, shutting her eyes, and getting close to Dinah for warmth. ‘I keep on thinking about—about—I keep on . . .’
Philip smiled at Dinah over Lucy-Ann’s head. She was asleep already, in spite of her ‘thinking’. Poor Lucy-Ann—she fell into adventures as readily as the others, but she didn’t enjoy them nearly so much!
Jack fell into an uncomfortable sleep too, in his box in the luggage-space. Kiki tucked her head under her wing and slept peacefully. The plane went on and on in the night, through a rain-storm, and then out into clear weather again, with a moon still bright in the sky.
None of the children saw that it was flying over the brilliant, moonlit sea. None of them gazed down to see the towns that looked like toy villages far below. The engines droned on and on, and the rhythm lulled the sleepers for mile upon mile.
And then the plane began to circle over a small airfield. It had arrived! Philip woke in a hurry and shook the girls. Gussy woke too and looked down from the window.
‘Tauri-Hessia!’ he said, proudly. ‘My country, Tauri-Hessia!’
Chapter 14
JACK IS ON HIS OWN
The sun was up, just above the horizon, when the plane landed gently on the runway. The sky was golden, and in the distance small whitewashed houses gleamed brightly.
Jack awoke when the engines stopped. He lifted up the lid of his box slightly, listening. Had they arrived? Then he heard Gussy’s voice. ‘Tauri-Hessia!’
‘So we’ve arrived,’ thought Jack. ‘Now—what do I do next? It’s daylight—though I should guess it’s only just sunrise.’
The four children in front were hustled out. The little airfield was completely deserted except for a few mechanics. A large car stood waiting. The children were pushed into it without a moment’s pause. Obviously they were to be hurried somewhere secret as fast as possible.
Jack got out of the box and made his way cautiously to a window. He saw the children just below, getting into a big car. The man with the eyeglass appeared to be in command, and gave an order to the chauffeur as he got in. The man was holding open the door and bowed. He saluted too, and repeated something after the man with the eyeglass.
‘Borken!’
Then he got into the driving-seat and drove swiftly off the field to a large gate in the distance.
‘Borken!’ said Jack to himself. ‘Now would that be the name of a place—or just a Hessian word for “Thank you” or something? Well—they’ve gone. Kiki, you and I are on our own in a strange land whose language we don’t know. And we have only got a few English coins in our pocket—so what do you suppose is the best thing to do?’
‘Send for the doctor,’ said Kiki, putting up her crest and looking
‘I sincerely hope they won’t do anything of the sort,’ said Philip. ‘You’d have to be King then, Gussy. How I’d hate to be a King! Always having to be on my best behaviour, never to lose my temper or do a thing that was wrong or impolite, having to be nice to people I hated, and . . .’
‘Why isn’t your father King?’ asked Dinah. ‘Why are you the heir to the throne?’
‘My father is dead,’ said Gussy. ‘There is only my mother, and in our country women are not allowed to rule. So one day I must be King. I shall like it.’
‘Well—you like ordering people about, and showing off,’ said Dinah. ‘So I suppose it’ll suit you. But I can’t say you’re my idea of a King. Oh dear—I wish this hadn’t happened. All our Easter hols spoiled!’
‘I hate all this,’ said Lucy-Ann, dismally. ‘I’m cold, and now I’m sleepy.’
‘Cuddle up to me,’ said Dinah. ‘After all, it’s the middle of the night, so we ought to feel sleepy. I do too. Let’s go to sleep. It will make the night seem shorter.’
‘I could go to sleep at once if I didn’t keep thinking of Bill and Aunt Allie,’ said Lucy-Ann, shutting her eyes, and getting close to Dinah for warmth. ‘I keep on thinking about—about—I keep on . . .’
Philip smiled at Dinah over Lucy-Ann’s head. She was asleep already, in spite of her ‘thinking’. Poor Lucy-Ann—she fell into adventures as readily as the others, but she didn’t enjoy them nearly so much!
Jack fell into an uncomfortable sleep too, in his box in the luggage-space. Kiki tucked her head under her wing and slept peacefully. The plane went on and on in the night, through a rain-storm, and then out into clear weather again, with a moon still bright in the sky.
None of the children saw that it was flying over the brilliant, moonlit sea. None of them gazed down to see the towns that looked like toy villages far below. The engines droned on and on, and the rhythm lulled the sleepers for mile upon mile.
And then the plane began to circle over a small airfield. It had arrived! Philip woke in a hurry and shook the girls. Gussy woke too and looked down from the window.
‘Tauri-Hessia!’ he said, proudly. ‘My country, Tauri-Hessia!’
Chapter 14
JACK IS ON HIS OWN
The sun was up, just above the horizon, when the plane landed gently on the runway. The sky was golden, and in the distance small whitewashed houses gleamed brightly.
Jack awoke when the engines stopped. He lifted up the lid of his box slightly, listening. Had they arrived? Then he heard Gussy’s voice. ‘Tauri-Hessia!’
‘So we’ve arrived,’ thought Jack. ‘Now—what do I do next? It’s daylight—though I should guess it’s only just sunrise.’
The four children in front were hustled out. The little airfield was completely deserted except for a few mechanics. A large car stood waiting. The children were pushed into it without a moment’s pause. Obviously they were to be hurried somewhere secret as fast as possible.
Jack got out of the box and made his way cautiously to a window. He saw the children just below, getting into a big car. The man with the eyeglass appeared to be in command, and gave an order to the chauffeur as he got in. The man was holding open the door and bowed. He saluted too, and repeated something after the man with the eyeglass.
‘Borken!’
Then he got into the driving-seat and drove swiftly off the field to a large gate in the distance.
‘Borken!’ said Jack to himself. ‘Now would that be the name of a place—or just a Hessian word for “Thank you” or something? Well—they’ve gone. Kiki, you and I are on our own in a strange land whose language we don’t know. And we have only got a few English coins in our pocket—so what do you suppose is the best thing to do?’
‘Send for the doctor,’ said Kiki, putting up her crest and looking
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