FIVE RUN AWAY TOGETHER - by Enid Blyton

09 AN EXCITING NIGHT

THERE was a silence, except for the waves splashing round the boat. Then George's voice came out of the darkness, lifted joyfully.

"Oh Julian... do you really mean it? Will you really come with me? I was afraid I'd get into trouble for doing this, because Father said I must stay at Kirrin Cottage till he came back... and you know how he hates disobedience. But I knew if I stayed there, you would too... and I didn't want you to be miserable with those horrid Sticks... so I thought I'd come away. I didn't think you'd come too, because of getting into trouble! I never even thought of asking you."

"You're a very stupid person sometimes, aren't you, George?" said Julian. "As if we'd care about getting into trouble, so long as we were all together, sticking by one another! Of course we'll come with you... and I'll take all the responsibility for this escape, and tell your father it's my fault."

"Oh no you won't," said George, quickly. "I shall say it was my idea. If I do wrong, I'm not afraid to own up to it. You know that."

"Well, we won't argue that now," said Julian. "We shall have at least a week or ten days on Kirrin Island to do all the arguing we want to. The thing is... let's get back now, wake up the others for a bit, and have a nice quiet talk in the dead of night about this plan of yours. I must say it's a very, very good idea!"

George was overjoyed. "I feel as if I could hug you, Julian," she said. "Where are the oars? Oh, here they are! The boat's floated quite a long way out."

She rowed strongly back to the shore. Julian jumped out and pulled the boat up the beach, with George's help. He shone his torch into the boat and gave an exclamation.

"You've quite a nice little store of things here," he said. "Bread and ham and butter and stuff. How did you manage to get them without old Mr. Stick seeing you tonight? I suppose you slipped down and got them out of the larder?" "

"Yes, I did," said George. "But there was no one in the kitchen tonight. Perhaps Mr. Stick has gone to sleep upstairs. Or maybe he has gone back to his ship. Anyway, there was no one there when I crept down, not even Stinker."

"We'd better leave them here," said Julian. "Stuff them into that locker and shut down the lid. No one will guess there's anything there. We'll have to bring down a lot more stuff if we're all going to live on the island. Golly, this is going to be fun!"

The children made their way back to the house, feeling thrilled and excited. Julian's wet dressing-gown flapped round his legs, and he pulled it up high to be out of the way. Timothy gambolled round, not seeming at all surprised at the night's doings.

When they got back to the house they woke the other two, who listened in astonishment to what had happened that night. Anne was so excited to think that they were all going to live on the island that she raised her voice in joy.

"Oh! That's the loveliest thing that could happen! Oh, I do think . . ."

"Shut up!" said three furious voices in loud whispers. "You'll wake the Sticks!"

"Sorry!" whispered Anne. "But oh... it's so terribly, awfully exciting."

They began to discuss their plans. "If we go for a week or ten days, we must take plenty of stores," said Julian.

"The thing is... can we possibly find food enough for so long? Even if we entirely empty the larder I doubt if that would be enough for a week or so. We all seem such hungry people, somehow."

"Julian," said George, suddenly remembering something, "I know what we'll do! Mother has a store-cupboard in her room. She keeps dozens and dozens of tins of food there, in case we ever get snowed up in the winter, and can't go to the village. That has happened once or twice you know. And I know where Mother keeps the key! Can't we open the cupboard and get out some tins?"