five get into a fix - excerpt

7/28/2019 Five Get Into a Fix - Excerpt

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Five Get

Into A Fix

A division of Hachette Childrens Books


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Enid Blyton Famous Five Copyright 2011 Chorion Rights LtdAll rights reserved

Foreword copyright Sophie Smallwood 2010

First published in Great Britain in 1942 by Hodder and Stoughton

This revised edition rst published in 2011 by Hodder Childrens Books

With thanks to Rachel Elliot

The right o Enid Blyton to be identied as the Author o

the Work has been asserted by her in accordance with theCopyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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All rights reserved. Apart rom any use permitted under UK copyright law,this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any orm,

or by any means with prior permission in writing rom the publishers orin the case o reprographic production in accordance with the terms o

licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency and may not be

otherwise circulated in any orm o binding or cover other than that inwhich it is published and without a similar condition being

imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

All characters in this publication are ctitious and any resemblanceto real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

A Catalogue record or this book is available rom the British Library

ISBN 978 0 340 93175 2

Typeset in Sabon by Avon DataSet Ltd, Bidord-on-Avon, Warwickshire

Printed and bound in Great Britain by Clays Ltd, St Ives plc

The paper and board used in this paperback by Hodder Childrens Booksare natural recyclable products made rom wood grown in sustainable

orests. The manuacturing processes conorm to the environmentalregulations o the country o origin.

Hodder Childrens Booksa division o Hachette Childrens Books338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH

An Hachette UK companywww.hachette.co.uk


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Contents

1 A miserable Christmas 12 O to Magga Glen 11

3 The end o the journey 21

4 In the old armhouse 31

5 Things might be worse! 41

6 A unny little creature 517 Back at the arm again 61

8 O to the little hut 71

9 A strange tale 81

10 In the middle o the night 90

11 Strange happenings 100

12 Out on the hills 111

13 Aily is surprising 121

14 Morgan is surprising too 131

15 Whats up, Tim? 141

16 Aily changes her mind 152

17 The big, big hole 16218 Inside Old Towers 173

19 A lot o excitement 183


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20 In the heart o the hill 195

21 An astounding thing 206

22 Alls well that ends well! 217


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1 A miserable Christmas

I think these Christmas holidays have been theworst weve ever had, said Dick.

Bad luck on George, coming to stay with us

or Christmas and then us all going down with

those awul colds and coughs, said Julian.

Yes and being in bed on Christmas Day washorrible, said George. The worst o it was I

couldnt eatanything. Imagine not being hungry

on Christmas Day! I never thought that would

happen to me!

Timmy was the only one o us who didnt get

ill, said Anne, patting him. You were so kind,

Tim, when we were in bed. You divided your time

between us nicely.

Woo! said Timmy, rather solemnly. He hadnt

been at all happy this Christmas. To have our o

the ve in bed, coughing and sneezing, was quiteunheard o!

Well, anyway, were all up again, said Dick.


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Five Get Into A Fix2

Although my legs dont really eel as i they

belong to me yet!

Oh do yours eel like that too? asked George.

I was quite worried about mine!

We all eel the same, said Julian, but well

be completely dierent in a day or two now

were up. Anyway we get back to school nextweek so wed better eel all right!

Everyone groaned and then coughed. Thats

the worst o this germ weve had, whatever it is,

said George. I we laugh or speak loudly

or groan we start coughing. Ill go completelymad i I dont get rid o my cough. It keeps me

awake or hours at night!

Anne went to the window. Its been snowing

again, she said. Not much but it looks lovely.

To think we might have been out in it all last

week. Its awul to have holidays like this.

George joined her at the window. A car drew

up outside and a burly, merry-looking man got

out and hurried up the steps to the ront door.

Heres the doctor, said Anne. I bet hell

say were all quite all right to go back to schoolnext week!

In a minute or two the door opened and the


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3A miserable Christmas

doctor came into the room, with the mother o

Julian, Dick and Anne. She looked tired and

no wonder! Looking ater our ill children and

a very miserable dog over Christmas hadnt been

an easy job!

Well, here they are all up and about now!

said Mum. They look pretty down in the mouth,dont they?

Oh theyll soon perk up, said Dr Drew,

sitting down and looking at each o the our in

turn. George looks the worst not so strong as

the others, I suppose.George went red with annoyance, and Dick

chuckled. Poor George is the weakling o

the amily, he said. She had the highest

temperature, the worst cough, and the loudest

groans, and she

But whatever else he was going to say was

lost beneath the biggest cushion in the room,

which an angry George had fung at him with

all her might. Dick fung it back, and everyone

began to laugh, George too. That set all the our

coughing, o course, and the doctor put his handsto his ears.

Will they be well enough to go to school,


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Doctor? asked their mother anxiously.

Well, yes they would but they ought

to get rid o those coughs rst, said the doctor.

He looked out o the window at the snow.

I wonder now no I dont suppose its possible

but . . .

But what? said Dick, pricking up his ears atonce. Going to send us to Switzerland or a skiing

holiday, Doc? Fine! Absolutely antastic!

The doctor laughed. Youre going too ast!

he said. No I wasnt actually thinking o

Switzerland but perhaps somewhere hilly, notar rom the sea. Somewhere really bracing,

but not too cold where the snow will lie, so

that you can toboggan and ski, but without

travelling as ar as Switzerland. Switzerland is

expensive, you know!

Yes, I suppose it is, said Julian. No we

cant expect a holiday in Switzerland just because

weve had horrible colds! But a week somewhere

would be very nice!

Oh yes! said George, her eyes shining. It

would really make up or these miserableholidays! Do you mean all by ourselves, Doctor?

Wed love that.


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Well, no someone ought to be there, surely,

said Dr Drew. But thats up to your parents.

I think its a really good idea, said Julian.

Mum dont you think so? Im sure youre

longing to be rid o us or a while. You look

worn out!

His mother smiled. Well i its what you need a short holiday somewhere to get rid o your

coughs you must have it. And Ill enjoy a little

rest while youre enjoying yourselves having a

good time! Ill talk it over with your dad.

Woo! said Timmy, looking enquiringly at thedoctor, both ears pricked high.

He says he needs a rest somewhere too,

explained George. He wants to know i he can

come with us.

Lets have a look at your tongue, Timmy, and

give me your paw to eel i its too hot or not,

said Dr Drew, gravely. He held out his hand, and

Timmy obediently put his paw into it.

The our children laughed and immediately

began to cough again. How they coughed! The

doctor shook his head at them. What a din! Ishouldnt have made you laugh. Now I wont be

coming to see you again until just beore you go


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back to school. I expect your mum will let me

know when that day comes. Goodbye till then

and have a good time, wherever you go!

We will! said Julian. And thanks or

bothering about us so much. Well send you a

card when our coughs are gone!

As soon as Dr Drew had driven o in his car,there was a conerence.

We can go o somewhere, cant we, Mum?

said Dick, eagerly. The sooner the better!

You must be tired to death o our coughs, night

and day!Yes. I think you mustgo somewhere or a ew

days, said his mother. But the question is

where? You could go o to Georges home, I

suppose Kirrin Cottage . . . but its not high

up . . . and besides, Georges dad would certainly

not welcome our coughs like yours!

No. Hed go mad at once, said George. Hed

fing open his study door and stride into our

room and shout Whos mak

But as George began to shout, she coughed

and that was the end o her little piece o acting!Thats enough, George, said her aunt. For

goodness sake, go and get a drink o water.


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There was much debating about where they

could go or a little while, and all the time they

were talking the snow ell steadily. Dick went

to the window, pleased.

Ionly we could nd a place high up on a hill,

just as the doctor said, a place where we could

use our toboggans, and our skis, he said. Itmakes me eel better already to think o it. I hope

this snow goes on and on.

I think Id better ring up a travel agency

and see i they can oer us something sensible,

said his mother. Maybe a summer camp setup on a hill would do it would be empty now,

and you could have a choice o a hut or a chalet

or something.

But all her telephoning came to nothing!

No, said the agencies. Sorry we havent

anything to suggest. Our camps are all closed

down now. No we know o no winter ones in

this country at all!

And then, as so oten happens, the problem

was suddenly solved by somebody no one had

thought o asking . . . Mr Jenkins, the old manwho helped in the garden! There was nothing

or him to do that day except sweep a path


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through the snow. He saw the children watching

him rom the window, grinned and came up

to them.

How are you? he shouted. Would you like

some apples? Theyve ripened nicely now, those

late ones. Your mum said you werent eeling like

apples or pears either. But maybe youre readyor some now.

Yes! We are! shouted Julian, not daring to

open the window in case his mother came in and

was angry to see him standing with his head out

in the cold. Bring them in, Mr Jenkins. Comeand talk to us!

So Mr Jenkins came in, carrying a basket

o ripe, yellow apples, and some plump, brown-

yellow pears.

And how are you now? he said, in his sot

Welsh voice, or he came rom the Welsh

mountains. Youre pale, and thin too. Ah, its the

mountain air o Wales you want!

He smiled all over his wrinkled brown ace,

handing round his basket. The children helped

themselves to the ruit.Mountain air thats what the doctor

ordered! said Julian, biting into a juicy pear. I


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suppose you dont know somewhere like that

we could go to, do you, Mr Jenkins?

Well, my aunt lets rooms in the summertime!

said Mr Jenkins. And shes a good cook, my

Aunt Glenys. But I dont know i shed do it in the

wintertime, what with the snow and all. Her

arms on the hillside, and the slope runs rightdown to the sea. A ne place it is in the summer

but therell be nothing but snow there now.

But it sounds exactly right, said Anne,

delighted. Doesnt it, Ju? Lets call Mum! Mum!

Mum, where are you?Her mother came running in, araid that one o

the children was eeling ill again. She was

astonished to see Mr Jenkins there and even

more astonished to hear the our children pouring

out what he had just told them. Timmy added a

ew excited barks, and Mr Jenkins stood twirling

his old hat, quite overcome.

The excitement made Julian and Dick cough

distressingly.

Now listen to me, said their mother, rmly.

Go straight upstairs and take another doseo your cough medicine. Ill talk to Mr Jenkins

and nd out what all this is about. No dont


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interrupt, Dick. GO!

They went at once, and let their mother

talking to the bewildered man.

Im sick o this cough! said Dick, pouring

out his usual dose. I hope Mum xes up

something with Mr Jenkinss aunt. I I dont go

o somewhere and lose this cough, Ill go mad stark, staring mad!

I bet well go to his aunt, said Julian. Thats i

shell take us. Its the kind o sudden idea that

clicks dont you think so?

Julian was right. The idea did click. Hismother had actually met Mr Jenkinss aunt that

spring, when she had come to visit her relations,

and Mr Jenkins had brought her proudly up to

the house to introduce her. So when Dick and

Julian went downstairs again, they were met

with good news.

Im phoning Mr Jenkinss aunt, Mrs Jones,

said their mother. And i shell take you well,

o you can go in a day or two coughs and all!

five get into a fix - excerpt

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