William in Trouble Read Online Free PDF
Author: Richmal Crompton
carriage speeding on his way to London. His precious bag was on the seat by his side. The Professor was thinking. He was remembering the nature
of the objects which he had seen on the table in the village hall, and which had caused him such consternation. He remembered the numbered labels which were attached to them. He took out his notes
and read them in the light of these memories. Then there came the sound as of the drawing of rusty bolts or the creaking of rusty hinges.
It was the Professor laughing.
CHAPTER 2
WILLIAM AND THE FAIRY DAFFODIL
T HE Outlaws swung happily along the road. It was Saturday. It was a holiday. All the world was before them. . . .
‘I went to the dentist, Wednesday,’ said Ginger with a touch of legitimate pride.
‘What’d you have done?’ said Douglas.
‘I bet you made ’nough fuss,’ said William, who considered it his duty to deflate his fellow-creatures when he thought they were unduly puffed up.
‘I had a tooth out ,’ said Ginger triumphantly, ‘an’ I dint make no fuss.’
‘I bet you had gas,’ said William contemptuously.
‘’ Course I had gas,’ said Ginger indignantly; ‘d’you want me to die of pain? That’s what people do what don’t have gas – die of pain
– it’s not the pain I mind,’ he added hastily, ‘but it seems silly to go and die of it.’
‘I bet you wun’t die of it,’ said William pugnaciously.
‘Well, you go an’ have a try,’ said Ginger; ‘you go an’ have a tooth out without gas tomorrow an’ see if you die of pain.’
‘I can’t,’ said William with an air of virtue, ‘’cause they’d make me pay, an’ I haven’t any money.’
‘Don’t see how they could make you pay if you died of it,’ said Henry.
‘Well, I’m not goin ’ to,’ said William, irritated by the callousness of his friends; ‘you’d only get hung for murder ’f I did.’
‘No, it’d be the dentist what’d get hung,’ pronounced Henry judicially.
‘I’ll lend you the money to go,’ said Ginger.
‘You can’t,’ said William with an air of finality, ‘’cause I know you haven’t got any.’
This was irrefutable, and the subject died a natural death.
‘My aunt sent me a box of tools yest’day,’ said Douglas.
The Outlaws received this news with interest.
‘What sort of tools?’ said William.
‘Fretwork tools,’ said Douglas, with a swagger, ‘a jolly fine box of ’em.’
‘Well, where are they?’ said Ginger; ‘why din’t you bring them along?’
Douglas’ swagger dropped.
‘Haven’t gottem any longer. They’ve took them off me.’
The Outlaws’ faces registered righteous indignation at this fresh example of adult tyranny.
‘Whaffor?’ they said simultaneously.
‘I jus’ did a nice s’prise for my mother,’ said Douglas, with a mixture of resignation and indignation in his tones. ‘She’s gotter ole bookcase – all
plain wood, you know – ugly ole thing – an’ I got up early an’ fret-worked it for her – made it ever so much prettier – for a nice s’prise for her –
an’—’ he sighed.
There was no need to complete the story. They had all experienced similar examples of almost incredible ingratitude from the grown-up world around them.
‘Anyway,’ ended Douglas simply, ‘they took ’em off me.’
‘Once when I had a tooth filled,’ said Ginger, returning to the former subject, ‘I din’ have gas jus’ havin’ it filled , though, coo ! . . . it did hurt. I did nearly die of pain – anyway, my father gave me a book after it called The Jungle Explorers , an’ crumbs! it was exciting. They went on and on through
woods which no white man had ever set foot in before an’ they found an unexplored tribe livin’ there what no one had ever found before – savages livin’ in the middle of an
unexplored wood. Crumbs! I wish there was places like that in England!’
There was a short silence. Then William said:
‘Well, how’d you know there
of the objects which he had seen on the table in the village hall, and which had caused him such consternation. He remembered the numbered labels which were attached to them. He took out his notes
and read them in the light of these memories. Then there came the sound as of the drawing of rusty bolts or the creaking of rusty hinges.
It was the Professor laughing.
CHAPTER 2
WILLIAM AND THE FAIRY DAFFODIL
T HE Outlaws swung happily along the road. It was Saturday. It was a holiday. All the world was before them. . . .
‘I went to the dentist, Wednesday,’ said Ginger with a touch of legitimate pride.
‘What’d you have done?’ said Douglas.
‘I bet you made ’nough fuss,’ said William, who considered it his duty to deflate his fellow-creatures when he thought they were unduly puffed up.
‘I had a tooth out ,’ said Ginger triumphantly, ‘an’ I dint make no fuss.’
‘I bet you had gas,’ said William contemptuously.
‘’ Course I had gas,’ said Ginger indignantly; ‘d’you want me to die of pain? That’s what people do what don’t have gas – die of pain
– it’s not the pain I mind,’ he added hastily, ‘but it seems silly to go and die of it.’
‘I bet you wun’t die of it,’ said William pugnaciously.
‘Well, you go an’ have a try,’ said Ginger; ‘you go an’ have a tooth out without gas tomorrow an’ see if you die of pain.’
‘I can’t,’ said William with an air of virtue, ‘’cause they’d make me pay, an’ I haven’t any money.’
‘Don’t see how they could make you pay if you died of it,’ said Henry.
‘Well, I’m not goin ’ to,’ said William, irritated by the callousness of his friends; ‘you’d only get hung for murder ’f I did.’
‘No, it’d be the dentist what’d get hung,’ pronounced Henry judicially.
‘I’ll lend you the money to go,’ said Ginger.
‘You can’t,’ said William with an air of finality, ‘’cause I know you haven’t got any.’
This was irrefutable, and the subject died a natural death.
‘My aunt sent me a box of tools yest’day,’ said Douglas.
The Outlaws received this news with interest.
‘What sort of tools?’ said William.
‘Fretwork tools,’ said Douglas, with a swagger, ‘a jolly fine box of ’em.’
‘Well, where are they?’ said Ginger; ‘why din’t you bring them along?’
Douglas’ swagger dropped.
‘Haven’t gottem any longer. They’ve took them off me.’
The Outlaws’ faces registered righteous indignation at this fresh example of adult tyranny.
‘Whaffor?’ they said simultaneously.
‘I jus’ did a nice s’prise for my mother,’ said Douglas, with a mixture of resignation and indignation in his tones. ‘She’s gotter ole bookcase – all
plain wood, you know – ugly ole thing – an’ I got up early an’ fret-worked it for her – made it ever so much prettier – for a nice s’prise for her –
an’—’ he sighed.
There was no need to complete the story. They had all experienced similar examples of almost incredible ingratitude from the grown-up world around them.
‘Anyway,’ ended Douglas simply, ‘they took ’em off me.’
‘Once when I had a tooth filled,’ said Ginger, returning to the former subject, ‘I din’ have gas jus’ havin’ it filled , though, coo ! . . . it did hurt. I did nearly die of pain – anyway, my father gave me a book after it called The Jungle Explorers , an’ crumbs! it was exciting. They went on and on through
woods which no white man had ever set foot in before an’ they found an unexplored tribe livin’ there what no one had ever found before – savages livin’ in the middle of an
unexplored wood. Crumbs! I wish there was places like that in England!’
There was a short silence. Then William said:
‘Well, how’d you know there