Five Go to Mystery Moor Read Online Free PDF Page B

enough food for everyone?"
    „Oh! How nice of you to ask her!" said Mrs Johnson, sounding very pleased. „She"s dying to come. She"s been so good this week, too, while we"ve been shorthanded. She deserves a treat. Isn"t that nice, George?"
    George muttered something peculiar and went out of the room, her face scarlet. Julian stared after her, his eyebrows cocked in a comical manner.
    „I don"t somehow feel that George thinks it"s nice," he said. „I feel as if we are in for an awkward day, Mrs Johnson."
    „Oh, don"t take any notice of George when she"s sil y," said Mrs Johnson, comfortably, fil ing another paper bag with delicious-looking sandwiches. „And don"t take any notice of Henry, either, when she"s idiotic. There! If you get through al this food, I shal be surprised!"
    Wil iam, one of the younger ones, came in just then. „What a lot of food you"ve given them," he said. „Wil there be enough left for us to have today?"
    „Good gracious, yes!" said Mrs Johnson. „You think of nothing but your tummy, Wil iam! Go and find George and tell her the food is ready for her to put into the saddle-bags."
    Wil iam disappeared and then came back. „George says she"s got a headache and doesn"t think she"ll go on the ride," he announced.
    Julian looked startled and upset. „Now you listen to me, Julian," said Mrs Johnson, beginning to insert the parcels of food careful y into the saddle-bags, „just you leave her to her imaginary headache. Don"t go fussing round her, and begging her to come and saying you won"t have Henry. Just believe quite firmly in her headache, and go off by yourselves. It"s the quickest way to make George see sense, believe me!"
    „Yes. I think you"re right," said Julian, frowning. To think that George should behave like a sulky little girl, after al the adventures they had been through together! Just because of Henry. It real y was absurd.
    „Where is George!" he said to Wil iam.

    „Up in her room," said Wil iam, who had been engrossed in picking up and eating al the crumbs he could. Julian went out of the room and into the yard. He knew which window belonged to the room where George and Anne slept. He yel ed up.
    „I say, George! Sorry about your headache, old thing! Sure you don"t feel like coming?"
    „No!" came back an answering shout, and the window was shut down with a slam.
    „Righto! Awfully disappointed and all that!" shouted Julian. „Do hope your head wil soon be better! See you later!"
    No other reply came from the window, but, as Julian went across the yard to the stables, a very surprised face watched him go, from behind the bedroom curtains. George was extremely astonished to have been taken at her word, shocked at being left behind after all, and angry with Henry and everyone else for putting her into this fix!
    Julian told the others that George had a headache and wasn"t coming. Anne was most concerned and wanted to go and comfort her but Julian forbade her to.
    „No. She"s up in her room. Leave her alone, Anne. That"s an order - see?"
    „Al right," said Anne, half-relieved. She felt sure that George"s headache was mostly temper, and she didn"t at all want to go and argue with her for half an hour. Henry hadn"t said a word. She had flushed with surprise when Julian had announced that George was not coming, and she knew at once that there was no real headache! She was George"s headache, she knew that!
    She went up to Julian. „Look, I guess it"s because you"ve asked me to come, that Georgina won"t come with us. I don"t want to spoil things. You go and tell her I"m not going after al ."
    Julian looked at Henry grateful y. „That"s jolly nice of you," he said. „But we"re taking George at her word. Anyway, we didn"t ask you out of politeness. We wanted you to come!"
    „Thanks," said Henry. „Well, let"s go before anything else happens! Our horses are ready. I"ll fix the saddle-bags."
    Soon all four were on their horses, and were walking over the yard to the gate. George