Free Five Go Down to the Sea by Enid Blyton

had spent so much time out in the storm the night before! Julian and Dick were tired too, but they were quite determined to go up to the shepherd"s hil and find the place where they could watch and see if that light real y did flash out!
    They had a high tea as usual, at which Mr Penruthlan was present. He ate solidly and solemnly, not saying a word except something that sounded like „Ooahah, ooh."
    „Well, I"m glad you like the pie, Mr Penruthlan," said his wife. „Though I says it as shouldn"t, it"s a good one."
    It real y was wonderful the way she understood her husband"s speech. It was also very queer to hear her speak to her husband as if he was someone to whom she had to be polite, and call Mister! Anne wondered if she cal ed him Mr Penruthlan when they were alone together. She looked at him earnestly. What a dark giant he was - and how he ate!
    He looked up and saw Anne watching him. He nodded at her and said „Ah! Oooh, ock, ukker." It might have been a foreign language for all Anne could understand! She looked startled and didn"t know what to say.
    „Now, Mr Penruthlan, don"t you tease the child!" said his wife. „She doesn"t know what to answer. Do you, Anne?"
    „Well - I - er - I didn"t really catch what he said," said Anne, going scarlet.
    „There now, Mr Penruthlan - see how badly you talk without your teeth in!" said the farmer"s wife scoldingly. „Haven"t I told you you should wear your teeth when you want to make conversation? I understand you al right, but others don"t. It must sound just a mumble to them!"
    Mr Penruthlan frowned and muttered something. The children al stared at him, dumbfounded to hear that he had no teeth. Goodness gracious - HOW did he manage to eat all he did, then? He seemed to chew and munch and crunch, and yet he had no teeth!
    „So that"s why he speaks so queerly," thought Dick, amused. „But fancy eating as much as he does, with no teeth in his head! Goodness, what would he eat if he had got all his teeth."
    Mrs Penruthlan changed the conversation because it was clear that her husband was annoyed with her. She talked brightly about the Barnies.
    „That horse Clapper! You wait til you see him prance on to the stage, and fall off it. You"l see Mr Penruthlan almost fall out of his seat he laughs so much. He"s fair set on that horse.
    He"s seen it a dozen times, and it tickles him to death."
    „I think it"s jol y funny myself," said Julian. „I"ve always thought I"d like to put on an act like that at our end-of-term concert at school. Dick and I could do it al right. I wish Sid and Mr Binks would let us try."
    The meal was finished at last. Most of the dishes were empty, and Mrs Penruthlan looked pleased. „There now - you"ve done really well," she said. „That"s what I do like to see, people finishing up everything put before them."
    „It"s easy when it"s food you put before us," said George. „Isn"t it, Timmy? I bet Timmy wishes he lived here always, Mrs Penruthlan! I"m sure he keeps tel ing your dogs how lucky they are!"

    After the washing-up, in which everyone but Mr Penruthlan helped, they went to sit down for a while, and read. But the farmer kept giving such enormous yawns that he set everyone else yawning too, and Mrs Penruthlan began to laugh.
    „Come on, to bed, all of you!" she said. „I"ve never heard so many yawns in my life! Poor Mr Penruthlan. He"s tired out with sitting up with Jenny the horse half the night."
    The children exchanged glances. They knew better!
    Everyone went up to bed, and the children laughed to hear Mr Penruthlan stil yawning loudly in his room. Julian looked out of his window. It was a dark, blustery night, with sudden spurts of sharp rain. The wind howled and Julian almost thought he could hear the great waves crashing on the rocks in the nearest caves! How enormous they would be in this wind!
    „A good night for wreckers, if there were any nowadays!" he said to Dick. „Not much chance for any ship that went too near those coves