Free Five Have a Wonderful Time by Enid Blyton

do you say, Julian?"
    "Right," said Julian. He looked at his watch. "Let's go and celebrate Jo's coming with a few ice-creams. And I expect you two girls have got some shopping to do, haven't you?"
    "Yes," said Anne, and fetched the shopping bags. They set off down the hill, the five of them and Timmy.
    As they passed the snake-man he called out cheerily to them: "Good morning! Nice day, isn't it?"
    After the surliness and sulkiness the children had got from the fair-folk up till then, this came as a surprise.
    Anne smiled, but the boys and George merely nodded and passed by. They were not so forgiving as Anne!
    They passed the rubber-man, bringing back water. Behind him came the rope-man. Both of them nodded to the children, and the sad-looking rubber-man actually gave a brief grin.
    Then they saw Bufflo, practising with his whip — crack-crack-crack! He came over to them. "If you'd like a crack with my whip, you're welcome any time," he said to Julian.
    "Thanks," said Julian, politely but stiffly. "But we're probably leaving tomorrow."
    "Keep your hair on!" said Bufflo, feeling snubbed.
    "I would if you'd let me," said Julian at once, rubbing his hand over the top of his head where Bufflo had stripped off a few up-standing hairs.
    "Ho, ho!" guffawed Bufflo and then stopped abruptly, afraid he had given offence. Julian grinned at him. He rather liked Bufflo, with his mop of yellow hair and lazy drawl.
    "You stay on with us," said Bufflo. "I'll lend you a whip."
    "We're probably leaving tomorrow," repeated Julian. He nodded to him, and went on with the others.
    "I'm beginning to feel I'd rather like to stay after all," said George. "It makes such a difference if people are friendly."
    "Well, we're not staying," said Julian, shortly. "I've practically made up my mind — but we'll just wait till tomorrow. It's a — a matter of pride with me. You girls don't understand quite how I feel about the whole thing."
    They didn't. Dick understood, though, and he agreed with Julian. They went on down to the village and made their way to the ice-cream shop.
    They had a very pleasant day. They had a wonderful lunch on the grass by their caravans — and to their surprise Mrs. Alfredo presented them with a sponge sandwich she had made. Anne thanked her very much indeed to make up for a certain stiffness in the thanks of the two boys.
    "You might have said a bit more," she said reproachfully to them. "She really is a kind little woman.
    Honestly I wouldn't mind staying on now."
    But Julian was curiously obstinate about it. He shook his head. "We go tomorrow," he said. "Unless something unexpected happens to make us stay. And it won't."
    But Julian was quite wrong. Something unexpected did happen. Something really very peculiar indeed.

Chapter Eleven
A VERY STRANGE THING

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    THE unexpected happening came that evening after tea. They had all had rather a late tea, and a very nice one. Bread and butter and honey — new doughnuts from the dairy — and the sponge-cake that Mrs. Alfredo had presented them with, which had a very rich filling indeed.
    "I can't eat a thing more," said George, "that spongecake was too rich for words. I don't even feel as if I can get up and clear away — so don't start suggesting it, Anne."
    "I'm not," said Anne. "There's plenty of time. It's a heavenly evening — let's sit for a while. There goes that blackbird again. He has a different tune every time he sings."
    "That's what I like about blackbirds," said Dick, lazily. "They're proper composers. They make up their own tunes — not like the chaffinch who just carols the same old song again and again and again. Honestly there was one this morning that said it fifty times without stopping."
    "Chip-chip-chip, cherry-erry-erry, chippee-OO-EE-Ar!" shouted a chaffinch, rattling it all off as if he had learnt it by heart. "Chip-chip-chip…"
    "There he goes again," said Dick. "If he doesn't say that, he shouts 'pink-pink-pink' as if he'd got