Read Five Run Away Together for Free Online

and upset because she felt the others were staying on because of her, when they could go back home and have a lovely time.
    It was not a happy day. George was very stand-offish, and kept on insisting that the others should go back home and leave her. She grew quite angry when they were as insistent that they would not.
    "You're spoiling my plan," she said at last. "You might go back, you really might. I tell you, you're spoiling my plan completely."
    "Well, what is your plan?" said Julian impatiently. "I can't help feeling you're just pretending you've got a plan, so that we'll go."
    "I'm not pretending," said George, losing her temper. "Do I ever pretend? You know I don't! If I say I've got a plan, I have got a plan. But I'm not giving it away, so it's no good asking me. It's my own secret, private plan."
    "Well, I really do think you might tell us," said Dick, quite hurt. "After all, we're your best friends, aren't we? And we're going to stick by you, plan or no plan—yes, even if we spoil your plan, as you say, we shall still stay here with you."
    "I shan't let you spoil my plan," said George, her eyes flashing. "You're mean. You're against me, just like the Sticks are."
    "Oh, George, don't," said Anne, almost in tears. "Don't let's quarrel. It's bad enough quarrelling with those awful Sticks, without us quarrelling too."
    George's temper died down as quickly as it had risen. She looked ashamed.
    "Sorry!" she said. "I'm an idiot. I won't quarrel. But I do mean what I say. I shall go on with my plan, and I shan't tell you what it is, because if I do, it will spoil the holidays for you. Please believe me."
    "Let's take our dinner out with us again," said Julian, getting up. "We'll all feel better away from this house today. I'll go and tackle the old Stick."
    "Dear old Ju, isn't he brave!" said Anne, who would rather have died than go and face Mrs. Stick at that moment.
    Mrs. Stick proved very difficult. She felt rather victorious at the time, and was also very annoyed to find that her beautiful meat-pie and jam-tarts had disappeared. Mr. Stick was in the middle of telling her where they had gone when Julian appeared.
    "How you can expect sandwiches for a picnic when you've stolen my meat-pie and jam-tarts, I don't know!" she began, indignantly. "You can have dry bread and jam for your-picnic, and that's all. And what's more, I wouldn't give you that either except that I'm glad to be rid of you."
    "Good riddance to bad rubbish," murmured Edgar to himself. He was lying sprawled on the sofa, reading some kind of highly-coloured comic paper.
    "If you've anything to say to me, Edgar, come outside and say it," said Julian, dangerously.
    "You leave Edgar alone," said Mrs. Stick, at once.
    "There's nothing I should like better," said Julian, scornfully. "Who wants to be with him? Cowardly little spotty-face!"
    "Now, now, look "ere!" began Mr. Stick, from his corner. . .
    "I don't want to look at you," said Julian at once.
    "Now, look "ere," said Mr. Stick, angrily, standing up.
    "I've told you I don't want to," said Julian. "You're not a pleasant sight."
    "Insolence!" said Mrs. Stick, rapidly losing her temper.
    "No, not insolence—just the plain truth," said Julian, airily. Mrs. Stick glared at him.
    Julian defeated her. He had such a ready tongue, and he said everything so politely.
    The ruder his words were, the more politely he spoke. Mrs. Stick didn't understand people like Julian.
    She felt that they were too clever for her. She hated the boy, and banged a saucepan viciously down on the sink, wishing that it was Julian's head under the saucepan instead of the sink.
    Stinker jumped up and growled at the sudden noise.
    "Hallo, Stinker!" said Julian. "Had a bath yet? Alas, no! — as smelly as ever, aren't you?"
    "You know that dog's name isn't Stinker," said Mrs. Stick, angrily. "You get out of my kitchen."
    "Right!" said Julian. "Pleased to go. Don't bother about the dry bread and jam. I'll manage something a bit better than