"FATHER, have you heard about our winter holidays hitherto?" said Justin, at the dinner-table. "Can we go to Plymouth as usual?"
"I'm afraid not," said his father. "They are quite full up this year."
The three children at the dinner-table looked at one another in great lament. They did so adore the lodge at Plymouth. The beach was so lovely there, too, and the bathing was fine.
"Cheer up," said Mommy. "I dare say we'll find somewhere else just as excellent for you. And anyway, Father and I won't be able to go with you this year. Has he told you?"
"No!" said Mary. "Oh, Father—is it true? “She’s absolutely right my dear,” replied Father
“Mom, can't you really come with us during our holidays? You always do."
"Well, this time Daddy wants me to go to Sofala with him," said Mother. "All by ourselves! And as you are really getting big enough to look after yourselves now, we thought it would be quite fun for you to have a holiday on your own too. But now that you can't go to Plymouth, I don't really quite know where to send you."
"What about James?" suddenly said Daddy. James was his brother, the children's uncle. They had only seen him twice, and had been rather terrified of him. He was a very tall, frowning man, a clever historian who spent all his time studying. He lived by the seabut that was about all that the children knew of him!
"James?" said Mother, pursing up her lips. "What made you think of him? I shouldn't think he'd want the children messing about in his little cottage."
"Well," said Daddy, "I met Fallonia (James's wife) in hypermarket yesterday and I don't think things are going too well for them. Fallonia said that she would be quite cheerful if she could hear of one or two people to live with her for a while, to bring a little money in. See, their cottage is by the sea. From my standpoint, it's just the thing for the children. Fallonia is very polite— she would look after them well."
"If you say so but James has a child of his own too, hasn't he?" said the children's
mother. "Let me think— what's her name— something hilarious— yes, Stephina! How old would she be? About twelve, I think."
"Same age as me," said Theophilus. "Fancy having a cousin we've never seen! She must be extremely lonely. I've got Justin and Mary to play with— but she is just one on her own. I should think she'd be delighted to see us."
"Well, your Aunt Fallonia said that Stephina would love a bit of company," said Dad.
"You know, I really think that would solve our complexity, if we phone Fallonia and arrange for the children to go there. It would help her, I'm convinced, and Stephina would love to have somebody to have fun with in the holidays. And we should make out that you three were safe."
The children began to feel rather thrilled. It would be cool to go to a place they had never been to before, and stay with an unheard of cousin.
"Are there cliffs, rocks and sands there?" asked Justin. "Is it a pleasant place?"
"I don't remember it very well," said Daddy. "But I feel sure it's astimulating place. Anyway, you'll love it! It's called Aucrea Bay. Your Aunt Fallonia has lived there all her life, and wouldn't leave it for anything."
"Oh Daddy, do telephone to Aunt Fallonia and ask her if we can go there!" cried Mary. "I just feel as if it's the right place somehow. It sounds kind of adventurous!"
"Oh, you always say that, wherever you go!" said Daddy, with a giggle. "All right— I'll ring up now, and see if there's any possibility."
They had all finished their dinner, and they got up to wait for Father to telephone.
The latter went out into the vestibule, and they heard him putting the call through. "I hope it's all right for us!" thought everybody.
Daddy came back in about ten minutes' time, and the children knew at once that he had fixed up everything. He smiled round at them.
"Well, that's settled," he said. "Your Aunt is overjoyed about it. She says it will be terribly good for Stephina to have company, because she's such a friendless little girl, always going off by herself. And she will love looking after you all. Only you'll have to be careful not to disturb your Uncle. He is working very hard, and he can fly in a dreadful temper when he is disturbed. Don’t be surprised if he forgets about you. He is jolly scatterbrained"
"We'll be as quiet as mice in the cottage!" said Theo. "Honestly we will. When are we going, Daddy?"
"Next week, if Mother can manage it," said Daddy.
Mother nodded her head. "Yes," she said, "There's nothing much to get ready for them— only bathing suits and jerseys and shorts. They all wear the same."
"How lovely it will be to wear shorts again!" said Mary. "I'm tired of wearing school tunics. I want to wear shorts, or a bathing suit, and go bathing and climbing with the boys."
"Well, you'll soon be doing it," said Mother, with a chuckle. "Keep in mind to put ready any toys or books you want. Not many please, because there won't be a great deal of room."
"Daddy, are we going by train or by car?"Theo asked.
"By car," said Daddy. "We can heap everything into the boot. Well— what about Monday?"
"That would suit me well," said Mother. "Then we could take the children down, come back, and do our own packing at leisure, and start off for Sofala on the Friday. Yes— we'll arrange for Monday."
So Monday it was. The children counted the days enthusiastically. The week seemed a very long time in going. But at last Monday did come. Theo and Justin, who shared a room, woke up at about the same moment, and stared out of the nearby window.
"It's a lovely day, hurrah!" cried Justin, leaping out of bed. "I don't know why, but it always seems very important that it should be sunny on the first day of a holiday. Let's wake Mary."
Mary slept in the next room. Justin ran in and shook her. "Wake up! It's Monday! And the sun's shining."
Mary woke up with a jump and stared at Justinecstatically. "It's come at last!" she said. "I thought it never would. Oh, isn't it an exhilarating feeling to go away for a holiday!"
They started soon after breakfast. Their car was a big one, so it held them all very comfortably. Mother sat in front with Daddy, and the three children sat behind, their feet on two suitcases. In the luggage-place at the back of the car were all kinds of odds and ends, and one small trunk. Mother really thought they had remembered everything.
Along the crowded Appalachia roads they went, slowly at first, and then, as they left the town behind, more quickly. Soon they were right into the countryside, and the car sped along fast. The children sang Carrols to themselves, as they always did when they were in high spirits.
"Are we picnicking soon?" asked Mary, feeling ravenous all of a sudden.
"Yes," said Mother. "But not yet. It's only eleven o'clock. We shan't have lunch till at least half-past twelve, Mary."
"Oh, gracious!" said Mary. "I know I can't last out till then!"
So her mother handed her some chocolate, and she and the boys munched happily, watching the hills, woods and fields as the car sped by.
The picnic was lovely. They had it on the top of a hill, in a slanting field that looked down into a sunny valley. Mother didn't like the big brown cow that came up close and stared at her, but it went away when Daddy told it to. The children ate enormously, and Mother said that instead of having a tea-picnic at half-past four they would have to go to a tea-cottage somewhere, because they had eaten all the tea sandwiches as well as the lunch ones!
"What time shall we be at Aunt Fallonia's?" asked Mary, finishing up the very last sandwich and wishing there were more.
"About seven o'clock with a bit of luck," said Daddy. "Now who wants to stretch their legs a bit? We've another long hex in the car, you know."
The car seemed to eat up the miles as it purred along. Tea-time came, and then the three children began to feel excited all over again.
"We must watch out for the sea," said Justin. "I can smell it somewhere near!"
He was right. The car suddenly topped a hill— and there, was the shining blue sea, calm and smooth in the evening sun. The three children gave a shriek.
"There it is!"
"Isn't it awe-inspiring?"
"Oh, I want to bathe this very minute!"
"We shan't be more than ten minutes now, before we're at Aucrea Bay," said Daddy. "We've made good time. You'll see the bay soon— it's quite a big one— with a droll sort of island at the entrance of the bay."
The children looked out for it as they drove along the coast. Then Justin gave a shout.
"There it is— that must be Aucrea Bay. Look, Theo— isn't it lovely and blue?"
"And look at the rocky little island guarding the entrance of the bay," said Theo.
"I'd like to visit that."
"Well, I've no doubt you will," said Mother. "Now, let's look out for Aunt Fallonia's cottage. It's called Aucrea Cottage."
They soon came to it. It stood on the low cliff overlooking the bay, and was a very old cottage indeed. It wasn't really a cottage, but quite a big cottage, built of old white stone. Roses climbed over the front of it, and the garden was gay with flowers.
"Here's Aucrea Cottage," said Daddy, and he stopped the car in front of it. "It's supposed to be about three hundred years old! Now— where's James? Hallo, there's Fallonia!"