The Rockingdown Mystery. Enid blyton
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Roger. “That’s pretty awful, you know, Di. He gets kicked about from one aunt to another, poor kid—and he likes coming to us better than anywhere else. He’s not so bad, if only he wouldn’t play the fool so much.”
“Just our luck to have an idiotic cousin with an idiotic dog,” said Diana.
“Oh, I like Loony,” said Roger at once. “He is quite potty, of course—but he’s a lovely spaniel, he really is! Loony’s a wonderful name for him—he’s an absolute lunatic, but honestly he’s wizard, the things he does. I bet he plays Miss Pepper up!”
“Yes. He’ll go off with all her shoes and hide them under a bush, and fight her Sunday hat, and get himself cleverly locked up in the larder,” said Diana. “What about another ice?”
“If Snubby was more our age, it wouldn’t be so bad,” said Roger. “After all, I’m fourteen and you’re thirteen—and he’s only eleven—quite a baby.”
“Well, he doesn’t behave like one,” said Diana, beginning on her second ice. “He behaves like a horrible little imp or goblin or something—always up to mischief of some sort—and thinking he can tag along with us. Oh dear—what with Miss Pepper and Snubby these hols look as if they’ll be awful.”
“Gosh, look at the time,” said Roger. “We shall miss Miss Pepper if we don’t look out. I must get the bill and we’ll go.”
The girl brought him the bill, and he got up with Diana to go to the desk and pay. As they were going out of the door Roger glanced at Diana’s hands. “Idiot! You’ve left your racket and bag at the table. I knew you would. You always do! It’s a marvel to me you ever manage to bring anything home safely!”
“Blow!” said Diana, and went back to get her things, knocking over a chair in her impatience. Roger waited for her patiently, a grin on his good-looking face. Harum-scarum, untidy, impatient Di! He laughed at her, kept her in order, and was very fond of her indeed. He was fond of his cousin Snubby too, with his impudence, sense of fun, and his habit of doing the most surprising and annoying things.
Both Diana and Snubby would have to be kept in order these holidays, Roger was certain. Diana was cross and disappointed at being sent off with Miss Pepper to some place she had never heard of—she would be annoying and perhaps sulky. Snubby would be more aggravating still, because he wouldn’t have Roger’s father to jump on him and yell at him. He would only have Miss Pepper, and Snubby hadn’t much opinion of women.
Loony the dog was, of course, another problem, but a very nice problem indeed. He was a dog who only obeyed one person and that was Snubby. He had never outgrown his habit of chewing things, hiding them and burying them. He went mad quite regularly, racing up and down the stairs, in and out of every room, barking his head off with excitement, and thoroughly upsetting every grown-up within miles.
But he was so beautiful! Roger thought of the little black spaniel with his silky, shining coat, his long drooping ears that always went into his dinner-dish, and his melting, mournful eyes. How lucky Snubby was to have a dog like that! Roger had often smacked Loony hard for being wicked, but he had never ceased to love him. He was glad that Loony was to share the holidays with them, even though it meant having his cousin Snubby too.
“We’ve got to meet Miss Pepper under the station clock,” said Roger. “We’ve got a minute to spare. Look—isn’t that her?”
It was. The children took a good look at their mother’s old governess as they hurried up to her. She was tall, thin, trim, with straight grey hair brushed back under a small black hat. Her eyes behind their glasses were sharp and twinkling. She had a very nice smile as she saw the children hurrying up to her.
“Roger! Diana! Here you are at last—and punctual to the minute too. It’s a year since I saw you, but you haven’t changed a scrap.”
She kissed Diana and shook hands with Roger. “Now,” she said, “we’ve a little time before we have to leave for our train at another station—what about a couple of ices—or have you grown out of your liking for them?”
Roger and Diana brightened up at once. Neither of them said that they had just had two ices each. Diana nudged Roger and grinned. Miss Pepper certainly was good at remembering to provide ice-creams and ginger-beer and the rest. She never failed in that.
“Now—I wonder where we can get ice-creams without going too far,” said Miss Pepper, looking round the station.
“Er—let me see—isn’t there a little tea-shop just outside the station?” said Roger.
“Yes—where they have lovely ices,” said Diana. “Do you remember the way, Roger?”
Roger did, of course, and promptly led the way back to the little tea-shop they had left only a few minutes before. Miss Pepper’s eyes twinkled. She wondered how many ices the two had already had whilst waiting for her.
Roger led his sister and Miss Pepper to a different table this time. He didn’t want the girl to make some remark that would give them away. They ordered ices.
“When is Snubby coming?” asked Diana.
“By train to-morrow,” said Miss Pepper. “With Loony, I fear. I don’t like dogs, as you know, and I like Loony even less than most dogs. It means I shall have to lock up all my slippers and hats and gloves. I never knew such a dog for smelling out things! Never! Last time I stayed with your mother, Roger, I began to think that Loony could undo suitcases, because things I had put in disappeared regularly—and I always found Loony with them sooner or later.”
“I expect Snubby had something to do with that,” said Roger. “He was awful those hols you were there, Miss Pepper. As loony as his dog.”
“Well, I hope Mr. Young will be able to keep Snubby in order,” said Miss Pepper.
There was a sudden startled silence. Roger and Diana looked at Miss Pepper in alarm.
“Mr. Young,” said Roger. “What’s he coming for?”
“To coach you all,” said Miss Pepper, in surprise. “Didn’t you know? I expect you’ll get a letter soon, if you haven’t heard. Your father rang up your schools, you know, to find out what kind of a report you both had, because he knew he wouldn’t get it before he left for America—and you’ve got to have coaching in Latin and maths, Roger, and you in French and English, Diana.”
“Well!” said both children together. “How absolutely foul!”
“Oh, no,” said Miss Pepper. “Mr. Young is very nice—and a very good coach. You’ve had him before.”
“He’s as dry as dust,” said Diana angrily. “Oh, I do think it’s hateful—holidays without Mummy and Daddy, at a place we don’t know anything about—with Mr. Young and lessons—and . . .”
“Shut up, Di,” said Roger, afraid that his angry sister would say something about Miss Pepper too. “You know we missed the whole of the Easter term because of scarlet fever—we’re behind in a good many things. I meant to do some work anyhow these hols.”
“Yes—but Mr. Young—with his beard and his sniffs and his ‘My dear young lady!’ ” cried Diana. “I hate him. I’ll jolly well write and tell Daddy what I think of him for——”
“That’s enough, Diana,” said Miss Pepper in a sharp voice.
“Is Snubby having coaching too?” asked Roger, kicking the furious Diana under the table to make her stop working herself into a rage.
“Yes. Unfortunately he had a very bad report from the headmaster,” said Miss Pepper.
“That’s nothing new,” growled Diana. “And I ask you—can Mr. Young do anything at all with Snubby? Snubby will lead him a frightful dance.”
“Shall we have another ice?” said Miss Pepper, looking at her watch. “We’ve just time. Or do you