Enid Blyton
The River of Adventure

Chapter 1 FOUR MISERABLE INVALIDS

'POOR Polly!' said a small sad voice outside the bedroom door. 'Poor Polly! Blow your nose, poor Polly!' There was the sound of loud sniffs, and after that came a hacking cough. Then there was a silence, as if the person outside the door was listening to see if there was any answer. Jack sat up in bed and looked across at Philip in the opposite bed. 'Philip - do you feel you can bear to let Kiki come in? She sounds so miserable.' Philip nodded. 'All right. So long as she doesn't screech or make too much noise. My head's better, thank goodness!' Jack got out of bed and went rather unsteadily to the door. He and Philip, and the two girls as well, had had influenza quite badly, and were still feeling rather weak. Philip had had it worst, and hadn't been able to bear Kiki the parrot in the bedroom. She imitated their coughs and sneezes and sniffs, and poor Philip, much as he loved birds and animals, felt as if he could throw slippers and books and anything handy at the puzzled parrot. Kiki came sidling in at the door, her crest well down. 'Poor thing,' said Jack, and she flew up to his shoulder at once. 'You've never been kept out before, have you? Well, nobody likes your kind of noises when their head is splitting, Kiki, old thing. You nearly drove Philip mad when you gave your imitation of an aeroplane in trouble!' 'Don't!' said Philip, shuddering to think of it. 'I feel as if I'll never laugh at Kiki's noises again.' He coughed and felt for his handkerchief under the pillow. Kiki coughed too, but very discreetly. Jack smiled. 'It's no good, Kiki,' he said. 'You haven't got the flu, so it's no use pretending you have.' 'Flue, flue, sweep the flue,' said Kiki at once, and gave a small cackle of laughter. 'No, we're not quite ready yet to laugh at your idiotic remarks, Kiki,' said Jack, getting back into bed. 'Can't you produce a nice bedside manner - quiet voice, and sympathetic nods and all that?' 'Poor Polly,' said Kiki, and nestled as close to Jack's neck as she could. She gave a tremendous sigh. 'Don't - not down my neck, please,' said Jack. 'You are feeling sorry for yourself, Kiki! Cheer up. We're all better today and our temperatures are down. We'll soon be up and about, and I bet Aunt Allie will be glad. Four wretched invalids must have kept her hands full.' The door opened cautiously, and Aunt Allie looked in. 'Ah - you're both awake,' she said. 'How do you feel? Would you like some more lime juice?' 'No, thanks,' said Jack. 'I tell you what I suddenly - quite suddenly - feel like, Aunt Allie - and that's a boiled egg with bread-and-butter! It came over me all at once that that was what I wanted more than anything else in the world!' Aunt Allie laughed. 'Oh - you are better then. Do you want an egg too, Philip?' 'No, thanks,' said Philip. 'Nothing for me.' 'Poor boy, poor boy,' said Kiki, raising her head to look at Philip. She gave a small cackle. 'Shut up,' said Philip. 'I'm not ready to be laughed at yet, Kiki. You'll be turned out of the room again if you talk too much.' 'Silence, Kiki!' said Jack and gave the parrot a small tap on the beak. She sank down into his neck at once. She didn't mind being silent, if only she were allowed to stay with her beloved Jack. 'How are the two girls?' asked Jack. 'Oh, much better,' said Aunt Allie. 'Better than you two are. They are playing a game of cards together. They wanted to know if they could come into your room this evening and talk.' 'I'd like that,' said Jack. 'But Philip wouldn't, would you, Phil?' 'I'll see,' said Philip, grumpily. 'I still feel awfully bad-tempered. Sorry.' 'It's all right, Philip,' said his mother. 'You're on the mend - you'll feel yourself tomorrow!' She was right. By the evening of the next day Philip was very lively, and Kiki was allowed to chatter and sing as much as she liked. She was even allowed to make her noise of an express train racing through a tunnel, which brought Mrs. Cunningham up the stairs at once. 'Oh no!' she said. 'Not that noise in the house, please, Kiki! I can't bear it!' Dinah looked at her mother, and reached out her hand to her. 'Mother, you've had an awful time looking after the four of us. I'm glad you didn't get the flu too. You look very pale. You don't think you're going to have it, do you?' 'No, of course not,' said her mother. 'I'm only just a bit tired racing up and down the stairs for the four of you. But