thinks it’s a rabbit—it’s a fur rug, you see,” said Snubby.
“I don’t care what he thinks it is,” said Miss Pepper. “You heard what I said. Take Loony out of the hall at once. I’m getting tired of him already. I’m thinking of buying a whip—a nice strong whip.”
Snubby stared at her in horror. What, whip Loony! Surely nobody could think of doing that! Smacking, yes—but whipping with a whip!
“He’s run off with Mrs. Round’s hearthbrush and left it somewhere. He’s been in the larder twice. He’s pulled every mat into a heap on the landing. And if I catch him under my bed again I shall BUY THAT WHIP,” said poor Miss Pepper.
Loony suddenly sneezed and looked very surprised at himself. He was always surprised when he sneezed. He sneezed again.
“Now what’s the matter with him?” said Miss Pepper. “Sneezing all over the place.”
“He’s had too much pepper,” said Snubby at once. “That’s what it is—too much pepper—it’s got up his nose. There’s a lot of it about these days.”
Miss Pepper looked at him coldly. “Don’t be rude, Snubby,” she said, and went into the dining-room. Roger roared and Snubby grinned.
“Let’s all sneeze when Miss Pepper gets peppery,” he said. “She’ll stop rowing us then. Loony, clear out. You really will get into trouble if you go off with any more of Mrs. Round’s brushes. Besides, you’re not to, anyway. She’s nice.”
Mrs. Round appeared at this minute. She was certainly like her name, and her face shone like the harvest moon, it was so red and round.
“That dog of yours,” she began, “if he hasn’t got my hearthbrush somewhere now! And if I chase him off with my broom what does he do but think I’m playing a game with him. Loony by name and Loony by nature that dog is.”
“What’s for pudding to-day, Mrs. Round?” asked Snubby, changing the subject in his clever way. “Are you going to make us one of your smashing treacle puddings again? Honestly, I wish you’d come and be cook at our school. The boys would cheer you every day.”
Mrs. Round beamed and patted the bun of hair at the back of her head. “Oh, go on with you now!” she said in her pleasant country drawl. “You keep that dog of yours out of my kitchen, and I might make you pancakes with raspberry jam.”
“Loony! Don’t you dare to go into Mrs. Round’s kitchen to-day,” said Snubby sternly, and Loony wagged his little black stump of a tail. He crawled humbly on his tummy to Snubby and lay quite flat in front of him.
“All humbug,” said Diana. “He’s as good at pretending as you are, Snubby!”
Miss Pepper came out into the hall. “Are you still here?” she said to Loony, who promptly went out of the front door at top speed. She turned to the children. “I’m going to telephone to one or two coaches I know to see if one is free to come. Go and clear away your books now. There certainly won’t be any lessons to-day.”
They cleared away their books thankfully. Miss Pepper telephoned for some time and then came into the study. “It’s no use,” she said. “Everyone is either already fixed up, or is away. I’ll have to put an advertisement in the newspaper.”
“Oh, don’t bother to do that, Miss Pepper,” said Roger. “All this trouble for you! It’s dreadful! I’m sure Daddy wouldn’t want you to bother like this.”
“Then you think wrong, Roger,” said Miss Pepper, and began to draft out an advertisement. It went off by the next post, much to the children’s annoyance.
“Goodness knows who we’ll get now,” said Diana gloomily. “At least we knew Mr. Young—and we knew how to get him talking so that we didn’t have to do much work ourselves. Blow!”
For the next three days the children were quite free to do what they liked. They found the riding school, and Miss Pepper arranged for one whole-day ride, and two hour-rides. That was fun. Loony was the only one who disapproved of it. He hated Snubby and the others to go off on horses, because sooner or later he couldn’t keep up with them and dropped back. The stable dog, a big airedale, kept up with the whole ride easily and was very scornful of the little spaniel.
They found the river and hired a boat. They could all swim like fishes, so Miss Pepper didn’t worry about them on the river. They explored the countryside, and enjoyed looking for uncommon flowers, unusual birds and queer beetles. At least the two boys did—Diana didn’t do much seeking for birds and flowers—she “mooned along” as the boys called it, enjoying the smells, the sounds and the sights of the countryside—the smell of the meadowsweet, the blue of the chicory, the queer little trill of the yellow-hammer, and the blue flash of the kingfisher as he flew past them, crying “tee-tee-tee!”
On the third day Snubby roused the scorn of the others. Diana was sitting beside the bank of the river, watching for the kingfisher again. Roger was lying on his back with his hat tilted over his eyes, listening to the high twitter of the swallows as they darted over the water, skimming the surface for flies.
Snubby was nowhere to be seen. He had crawled off to see if he could watch a few young rabbits who had unexpectedly come out to play in the daylight. Suddenly he came back.
“I say! Do you know what I’ve just seen?”
“A cabbage butterfly,” suggested Diana.
“A dandelion,” said Roger, not moving.
“A monkey!” said Snubby. “Yes, go on, laugh. But I tell you it was a monkey!”
“Don’t try and stuff us up with one of your tall stories,” said Roger. “We’re not in the lower third with you.”
“Look here—I tell you I did see a monkey,” repeated Snubby. “It isn’t a tall story. It was at the top of a tree and it swung itself down half-way, saw me—and disappeared. Loony didn’t see it—but he smelt it. I could see his nose twitching like anything.”
Diana and Roger stopped listening. Snubby had too many marvels to tell—wonderful things always seemed to be happening to him—this must be one of them! Diana shushed him.
“Sh! I think I can hear the kingfisher. He may come and sit on this branch.”
“You are a disbelieving lot,” said Snubby bitterly. “Here I come and tell you, absolutely solemnly and truthfully, that I’ve just seen a wizard monkey, and all you talk about is kingfishers.”
Nobody said anything. Snubby sniffed scornfully. “All right—I’m going off by myself. And I shan’t come back and tell you if I see a chimpanzee this time!”
He went off with Loony. Roger gave a gentle little snore—he was asleep. Diana sat with her chin on her knees, and was at last rewarded for her long wait. The kingfisher flashed down, sat on the branch just in front of her, and waited for a fish to swim along in the water beneath.
Snubby went gloomily through the wood behind. Loony trotted along at his heels, pondering over the inexplicable ways of rabbits that lived down holes too small for dogs to get into.
Then he stopped and growled deep down in his throat. “What’s up?” said Snubby. “Oh—somebody coming? I can hear them now. Wish I had ears like yours, Loony, though how you hear at all with those big ears flapping over your earholes, I really don’t know!”
Somebody came through the wood, whistling softly. Loony growled again. Then Snubby saw the newcomer. He was a boy of about fourteen or fifteen, burnt very brown. His hair was corn-coloured and he had eyes so blue that they were quite startling to look at. They were set curiously wide apart and were fringed with thick dark lashes. He had a very wide mouth that grinned in a friendly fashion at Snubby.
“Hallo!” said the boy. “Have you seen a monkey?”
CHAPTER