Five on a Secret Trail Read Online Free PDF

George, amazed. „It was you who broke yours! Who came messing round our camp yesterday evening I"d like to know?"
    „Not me!" said the boy at once. „I always keep my promises. Now go away and keep yours. Girls! Pooh!"
    „Well, I can"t say we think much of you," said George, disgusted. „We"re going. We don"t want to see anything of your sil y digging. Good-bye!"
    „Good-bye and good riddance!" called the boy rudely, and turned back to his work.
    „I think he must be quite mad," said Anne. „First he makes a promise - then last evening he broke his promise and even said he hadn"t made one - and now today he says he did make a promise and that he"d kept his and we"d broken ours. Idiotic!"
    They went up a little rabbit path, and into a small copse of birch trees. Someone was sitting there reading. He looked up as they came.
    The two girls stopped in amazement. It was that boy again! But how had he got here?
    They had just left him behind in a trench! Anne looked at the title of the book he was reading. Goodness - what a learned title - something about Archaeology.

    „Another little trick of yours, I suppose?" said George, sarcastical y, stopping in front of him.
    „You must be a jolly good runner, I must say, to have got here so quickly. Funny boy, aren"t you - very very funny!"
    „Good gracious - it"s those potty girls again," groaned the boy. „Can"t you leave me alone? You talked a lot of rubbish yesterday - and now you"re talking it again."
    „How did you get here so quickly," said Anne, puzzled.
    „I didn"t get here quickly. I came very slowly, reading my book as I went," said the boy.
    „Fibber!" said George. „You must have run at top speed. Why do you pretend like this? It"s only a minute or so ago that we saw you."
    „Now you"re the fibber!" said the boy. „I do think you two girls are awful. Go away and leave me alone and never let me see you again!"
    Timmy didn"t like the tone of the boy"s voice and he growled. The boy scowled at him.
    „And just you shut up too," he said.
    Anne pul ed at George"s sleeve. „Come on," she said, „it"s no good staying here arguing.
    The boy"s crazy - just mad - we"ll never get any sense out of him!"
    The two girls walked off together, Timmy fol owing.
    The boy took absolutely no notice. His face was turned to his book and he was quite absorbed in it.
    „I"ve never met anyone quite so mad before!" said Anne, rather puzzled. „By the way, George - you don"t suppose it could have been that idiotic boy last night in the cottage?"
    „No. I tel you I think you dreamed it," said George, firmly. „Though that boy is quite idiot enough to explore an old cottage in the middle of the night. He would probably think it a very good time to do so. Oh Anne, look - there"s a pool - in that hol ow down there. Do you think we could bathe in it?"
    It certainly shone very temptingly. They went down to have a closer look. „Yes - we"ll have a swim this afternoon," said George. „And then I really think, Anne, we ought to go back to Kirrin Cottage and get a few more provisions. The sandwiches we"ve got left are so dry that we real y shan"t enjoy eating them - and as Timmy"s ear isn"t healed, it looks as if we"ll have to stay a bit longer."
    „Right!" said Anne, and they went on back to the camp. They changed into their swim-suits in the afternoon and went off to the little pool. It was fairly deep, very warm and quite clean. They spent a lovely hour swimming and basking and swimming again - then they reluctantly dressed and began to think of going off on the long journey to Kirrin Cottage.
    George"s mother was very surprised to see the two girls and Timmy. She said yes, of course, they could have some more food, and sent them to ask Joan for all she could spare.
    „By the way, I"ve heard from Julian and Dick," she said. „They"re back from France - and may be here in a day or two! Shall I tel them to join you or wil you come back here?"
    „Tell them to come and fetch us as