Five Have a Mystery to Solve Read Online Free PDF Page B

you!
    Wilfrid, how do you get all these creatures to come to you?"
    „Shan"t tell you," said Wilfrid, getting up. „Is there anything to eat in the cottage? I"m hungry."
    He pushed Anne aside and went into the cottage. He opened the larder door, and took down a tin. There was a cake inside and he cut off a huge piece. He didn"t offer Anne any.
    „Couldn"t you have cut me a piece too?" said Anne. „You real y are a rude boy!"
    „I like being rude," said Wilfrid, munching his cake. „Especially to people who come to my cottage when I don"t want them."
    „Oh don"t be so sil y!" said Anne, exasperated. „It isn"t your cottage - it belongs to your grandmother. She told us so. Anyway, you said we could stay if Timmy stayed too."
    „I"l soon make Timmy my dog," said Wilfrid, taking another bite. „You"l see! Soon he won"t want that girl George any more - and he"l fol ow at my heels al day and night. You"l see!"
    Anne laughed scornful y. Timmy following at this boy"s heels? That could never happen!
    Timmy loved George with all his doggy heart. He would never desert her for Wilfrid no matter how much he whistled on pipes, or put on his special croony voice. Anne was absolutely certain of that!

    „If you laugh at me, I"l cal up my grass snake and my adder!" said Wilfrid, fiercely. „Then you"l run for miles!"
    „Oh no I won"t!" said Anne, hurrying into the cottage. „Just watch yourself run!"
    She picked up the pail of water, went out with it, and threw it all over the astonished Wilfrid! Somebody else was most astonished too - and that was Julian, who had arrived back before the others, anxious not to leave Anne alone in the cottage for too long.
    He came just in time to see Anne drenching Wilfrid, and stared in the utmost amazement.
    Anne behaving like that? Anne looking really fierce - quiet, peaceful Anne! What in the world had happened?
    „Anne!" he called. „What"s the matter? What"s Wilfrid been doing?"
    „Oh - Julian!" said Anne, glad to see him, but horrified that he had come just then. Wilfrid was drenched from head to foot. He stood there, gasping, taken-aback, bewildered.
    Why, Anne had seemed such a quiet, frightened little thing - scared even of a spider!
    „That girl!" said Wilfrid, half-choking, shaking the water off himself. „That bad, wicked girl!
    She"s like a tiger! She sprang at me, and threw the water all over me! I won"t let her stay in my cottage!"
    The boy was so angry, so wet, so taken-aback, that Julian had to laugh! He roared in delight, and clapped Anne on the back. „The mouse has turned into a tiger! Well, you said you might one day, Anne - and you haven"t lost much time! Let me see if you"ve grown claws!"
    He took Anne"s hands and pretended to examine her nails. Anne was half-laughing, half-crying now, and pul ed her hand away. „Oh Julian! I shouldn"t have soaked Wilfrid - but he was SO IRRITATING I lost my temper, and..."
    „Al right, al right - it"s quite a good thing to do sometimes," said Julian. „And I bet young Wilfrid deserved al he got. I only hope the water was icy cold! Have you a change of clothes here, Wilfrid? Go and get into them, then."
    The boy stood there, dripping wet, and made no effort to obey. Julian spoke again. „You heard what I said, Wilfrid. Jump to it! Go and change!"
    The boy looked so wet and miserable that Anne felt suddenly sorry for what she had done. She ran to him and felt his wet shoulders. „Oh, I"m sorry!" she said. „I truly am. I don"t know why I turned into a tiger so suddenly!"
    Wilfrid gave a little half-laugh, half-sob. „I"m sorry too," he mumbled. „You"re nice - and your nose is like that baby rabbit"s - it"s - it"s a bit woffly!"
    He ran into the cottage and slammed the door. „Let him be for a while," said Julian, seeing that Anne made a move to go after him. „This wil do him good. Nothing like having a pail of cold water flung over you to make you see things as they real y are! He was real y touched when you said you were