Enid Blyton: The Rilloby Fair Mystery

CHAPTER 1

FIRST DAY OF THE HOLIDAYS

" 'Morning, Mother! 'Morning, Dad!" said Roger, and ruffled his father's hair as he passed him, and dropped a kiss on his mother's curls.

"Don't do that, Roger," said his father impatiently, smoothing his hair down. "Why are you late for breakfast? And where's Diana?"

"Can't imagine," said Roger cheerfully, helping himself to an enormous plateful of porridge. "Asleep, I suppose."

"Never mind," said his mother. "It's only the second day of the holidays. Roger, you can't possibly eat all that porridge - with sausages to follow."

"Oh, jolly good," said Roger, sitting down in front of his great plateful. "Any fried onions with them?"

"Not at breakfast-time, Roger. You know we don't have onions then."

"I can't imagine why not," said Roger. He began to eat his porridge, craning his neck to read the back of his father's newspaper.

As the newspaper was folded in two, the reading matter was upside down for Roger, and his father glanced at him irritably.

"Roger! What are you screwing your head round like that for? Have you got a stiff neck?"

"No - only just reading that exciting bit in the paper about the dog that . . ."

"Well, don't. You know it's bad manners to read a paper when someone else is reading it," said his father. "Don't they teach you manners at school?"

"No. They think we learn them at home," said Roger cheekily.

Mr. Lynton glared over the top of his newspaper. "Well, then, perhaps I'd better teach you a few these holidays," he began. And just at that moment Diana burst into the room, beaming.

"Hallo, Mother! 'Morning, Dad! I say, isn't this a heavenly day - all daffodils and primroses and sunshine! Gosh, I do love the Easter hols."

"Get your porridge, dear," said her mother. "Roger, you haven't taken all the cream surely?"

"No, there's a spot left," said Roger. "Anyway, it won't hurt Diana to have plain milk. She's too fat."

"I'm not! Am I, Mother?" said Diana indignantly. Her father gave an exasperated click.

"Sit down, Diana. Eat your porridge. If you must be late, be late quietly. Breakfast is at eight o'clock - and it's now half-past!"

Mr. Lynton gathered up his newspaper, put it beside his wife's place, and went out of the room.

"What's the matter with Dad this morning?" asked Diana, pulling up one of her stockings. "Blow this stocking. It keeps coming down. Why is Dad so mouldy, Mother?"

"Don't talk like that, Diana," said Mrs. Lynton. "There's nothing wrong with your father except that he does like you two to be punctual for meals - and also he's heard that his Uncle Robert is coming to stay. You know the dear old fellow bores your father terribly."

"Oh my goodness - is Great-uncle Robert really coming?" said Roger. "Whatever for? And where are you going to put him? Snubby's coming to-morrow, isn't he - and he'll have the only guest-room."

"Well, he can't now - he'll have to sleep in your room," said his mother. "I'll have a bed put up there. I'm sorry, Roger - but it's the only thing to do. Uncle Robert must have the guest-room."

"Oh gosh - Snubby sleeping with me - and playing his fool tricks all the time," groaned Roger. "I shan't mind having Loony in the room - but Snubby's awful."

"I'd very much rather you didn't have Loony sleeping in the bedroom with you," said Mrs. Lynton. "He's a very nice spaniel, I know, although he's completely mad - but I do not like dogs in bedrooms."

"Mother! You say that every single time Snubby and Loony come to stay," said Diana. "And you know quite well that if you turned Loony out into the kennel Snubby would go too, and sleep with him there at night."

"Yes, I know," said Mrs. Lynton with a sigh. "I don't know which is worse - Snubby or Loony."

Snubby was a cousin of the two children, and owned a black cocker spaniel called Loony, short for Lunatic. Snubby's parents were dead, so he spent his holidays staying with various relations. Mrs. Lynton was sorry for him and fond of him, and he came more often to her house than to anyone else's.

"He's coming to-morrow, isn't he?" asked Diana. "I'll order a big bone for Loony to-day when I go by the butcher's. Dear old Lenny. I wonder if he's still mad on brushes. Mother, last summer hols he took every single brush he could find. He put some of them down a rabbit-hole. We found quite a collection there one day."

Mrs. Lynton hurriedly made up her mind that she would warn the household to keep all brushes out of Loony's reach. Oh dear - what with Snubby and Loony and Uncle Robert, it looked as if things would be much too hectic for the next few weeks.