Five on a Secret Trail by Enid Blyton Read Free Book Online

who could keep it up longest! Then they went on to B and to C and to D.
    They were doing the E"s when they heard a loud and very comforting sound.
    „Timmy"s snoring," said George. „He"s fast asleep. What an elephantine snore, Tim!"
    „E for elephant," said Anne, quickly.
    „Cheat! That should have been my E!" said George. „Al right. E for Eland."
    „E for Egg-Eater," said Anne, after a pause.
    „Not allowed - you made that up!" said George. „My mark!"
    By the time they got to M, and Anne was two marks ahead, the dawn was breaking. It was a great relief to the two girls to see the silvering of the sky in the east and to know that soon the sun would be up. They immediately felt much better. George even stood up and went bravely to the window, where there was nothing to be seen but the quiet countryside outside, with its stretches of heather, gorse-bushes and silver birches
    „We were sil y to be so scared," said George. „I don"t think we"ll go back home today after all, Anne. I hate running away from anything. The boys would laugh at us.
    „I don"t care if they do," said Anne. „I"m going back. If the boys were here, I"d stay - but goodness knows when they"l come - it might not be til next week! I"m just NOT staying here another night."
    „Al right, al right," said George. „Do as you like - but for goodness" sake tell the boys it was you who wanted to run away, not me!"

    „I wil ," said Anne. „Oh dear - now I feel sleepy all over again. I suppose it"s because daylight is here and everything seems safe, so I know I can fal asleep."
    George felt the same! They cuddled down together on the rug again and immediately feel asleep, They did not wake til quite late - and even then something woke them, or they might have slept on for hours, tired out with their broken night and the fright they had had.
    They were awakened by something scuttling round them, making a very loud noise indeed. Then Timmy barked.
    The girls awoke and sat up, rather dazed. „Oh, it"s Jet!" said Anne. „Jet, have you come to see if we"re al right, you dear, funny little one-eyed thing!"
    „Wuff-wuff!" said Jet, and rolled over on his back to be tickled, his long thin tail wagging all the time. Timmy leaped on him and pretended to eat him. Then a loud voice called to them.
    They looked up. The boy was standing at the door, grinning widely.
    „Hal o, sleepy-heads! I came to see if you were all right after that awful storm. I know I promised I wouldn"t come here, but I felt a bit worried about you."
    „Oh. Well, that"s nice of you," said Anne, getting up and brushing the dust from her skirt.
    „We"re quite al right - but we had rather a queer night. We..."
    She got a hard nudge from George and stopped suddenly. George was warning her not to say anything about the people they had seen - or the person at the window. Did she think they might have anything to do with this boy? Anne said no more and George spoke instead.
    „Wasn"t it a dreadful storm? How did you get on?"
    „Al right. I sleep down in a trench, and the rain can"t get at me. Well - so long! Come on, Jet!"
    The boy and the dog disappeared. „That was nice of him," said Anne. „He doesn"t seem crazy this morning, does he - quite normal! He didn"t even contradict us. I think I quite like him after all."
    They went to their soaked tent and got a tin of sardines out to eat with bread and butter.
    Just as they were opening it, they heard someone whistling and looked up.
    „Here comes that boy again!" said Anne.
    „Good morning. I don"t want to butt in - but I just wondered if you were al right after the storm," said the boy, without even a smile. The girls stared at him in amazement.
    „Look - don"t start being crazy al over again!" said George. „You know jolly well we"re all right. We"ve already told you."
    „You haven"t. And I didn"t know!" said the boy. „Well, I only came out of politeness. Sorry to see you are stil balmy!"
    And off he went. „There!" said Anne,