Seven White Gates by Malcolm Saville

Author:Malcolm Saville
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-02-10T00:00:00+00:00

7. The Black Messenger

David slept dreamlessly. He had always enjoyed camping and preferred the feel of a sleeping-bag and the smell of the hay to the springs of a bed and the freshness of sheets. He did not even turn over until the sun was up and Henry and Humphrey were starting work in the yard. Dimly he heard the drone of their slow voices as the horses clumped out of the stable, and when one of the men began to whistle he looked at his watch. Just past seven and time somebody was moving. He wondered whether the girls were up, but could not hear any sound from upstairs. Then he remembered that Dickie had been told to get the stove ready for Peter and that he ought to be getting to work by now.

David listened for his brother's breathing, but there was no sound from the other side of the partition.

"Dickie," he called, "time to get up."

There was no answer, so David reached out for a shoe and tossed it over. As this produced no result, he wriggled out of his bag and called again sharply: "Dickie, get up and stop playing the goat."

But before he could get an answer Peter's voice came from the top of the stairs:

"What's the matter, David? Isn't Dickie there? Mary's gone, too."

He looked up, saw Peter's rather anxious face above him, and ran round into Dickie's division. It was empty and his sleeping-bag lay limply on the hay.

"Have they taken Mackie?" Peter asked, as she ran down the steps and across the floor to the great doors which David was pushing back. Together they whistled for the dog, but there was no response.

"Well, I'm going to get some clothes on." Peter announced. "Wait for me and we'll get the fire going. They'll be back for breakfast, I'm sure."

David went outside to wash in a pail. He was combing the water out of his hair when Peter came out into the sunshine again.

"What's for breakfast?" he said. "I'm hungry. And what shall we do today? I suppose Tom will get his letter this afternoon. I'll be glad when he comes and we're all together again."

"Oh, yes," Peter said. "I like Tom. What d'you think of Jenny, David?"

"I don't think she'd be much use in what Dickie would call a 'crissis,' but she's good fun. We'll try and meet her today somehow. I do wish these kids wouldn't play the fool, but we jolly well won't wait breakfast for them... Come on... I'll do the fire and you can get busy."

He soon got the fire alight and Peter got to work with the frying-pan, and then David searched the farmyard again and even went down into the wood to whistle Macbeth. By the time he got back he was furious. As he entered the barn Peter called:

"I've cooked theirs, too, but it's difficult without an oven. There's no way of keeping it hot."

"If they're not here by the time I've finished mine I'll eat theirs too," David growled, and then went outside again and beat upon an empty saucepan.

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