Clementine Rose and the Farm Fiasco 4 by Jacqueline Harvey

Author:Jacqueline Harvey [Harvey, Jacqueline]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FICTION
ISBN: 9781742755489
Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia
Published: 2012-09-24T04:00:00+00:00

Eddie and Lester were going about their business very seriously too.

Heinrich reappeared and beckoned the children to come out and show the rest of the class their treasures.

Astrid and Sophie had eight eggs, Eddie and Lester had collected nine and Angus and Clementine had found a record-breaking thirteen.

The class was very impressed with the haul.

‘I know that seems like a lot,’ Heinrich explained. ‘But many people live on the estate. Lily makes up cartons and delivers them to Mrs Oliver up at the Hall, Mrs Greening and Granny Bert, and if there are too many we give them to the neighbours as well. We seem to get through them and it’s bad news if the girls stop laying. Last year they went on strike for a month and there were no eggs for anyone.’

‘Why did they do that?’ Astrid asked. ‘Did they want a better henhouse?’

Heinrich Bauer smiled. ‘No, they already have the best henhouse. I discovered Mr Fox was paying them a visit each night. He couldn’t get in but he spent a long time staring at the girls. I think it made them very nervous.’

‘Did you shoot him?’ Joshua asked. ‘Because I would shoot him.’

Sophie frowned at him. ‘What with? Your water pistol?’

Heinrich Bauer shook his head. ‘Mr Fox has been relocated.’

Clementine wondered what that meant.

‘Children, would you carry the eggs up to the house and leave them at the back door for Lily?’ Heinrich directed.

Mrs Bottomley could sniff an impending disaster. ‘Do you really think that’s a good idea, Mr Bauer?’

‘It will be fine,’ the man replied.

The egg collectors walked in pairs on either side of their baskets, carrying their treasures carefully. Clementine and Angus were the last to go, and just as Clementine was walking past Joshua, the boy stretched out his foot.

‘Ahhhh!’ Clementine cried out as she thudded to the ground. The eggs spilled everywhere, splattering all over the lawn and on Angus’s t-shirt as well.

‘Why did you do that?’ Angus yelled at Clementine and scrambled to his feet.

‘I didn’t.’ Clemmie began to cry.

‘What in heaven’s name?’ Mrs Bottomley swooped on the pair. ‘What a mess! What a disaster! I knew the children couldn’t be trusted with the eggs.’

Angus turned on Clementine. ‘It was her fault. She tripped over and then she made me fall over too.’

Joshua had rushed ahead as soon as the pair had fallen and was now watching the drama and chuckling behind his hands.

‘It was Joshua,’ Clementine wailed. ‘He tripped me.’

‘Never mind,’ Heinrich said. ‘It was an acci­dent.’ He looked at Clementine’s big blue eyes.

‘I . . . I . . . I’m sorry,’ she sobbed. ‘I didn’t mean to.’

‘Of course you didn’t mean to.’ Heinrich patted the girl on the shoulder.

‘I saw him,’ Sophie told Clementine. ‘Joshua tripped you over on purpose.’

‘I did not,’ Joshua lied. ‘I wasn’t even near her.’

Poppy stared at the boy, whose tongue shot out at her like the sneaky snake that he was.

‘Angus doesn’t believe me,’ Clementine said.

‘Don’t worry about him,’ said Sophie.

The children walked up to the back of the house where Lily had organised some fruit and brownies for their morning tea.

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