“Well, you go and telephone the florist,” said Jenny. “I’ll finish this job.”

But George was rather afraid that Professor Hayling might rush out to see who was using the telephone!

“I’m sure we can buy flowers in Kirrin Village, and have them sent,” she said. “We’ve got to go and get our things ready for the carrier, and I can order the flowers then. We might as well come back on our bicycles — they’d be useful here.”

“Well, you’d better go now,” said Jenny, “or you won’t be back in time for tea, and then there’d be trouble.”

“I’ll bring back Anne’s bicycle,” said Julian. “I can easily manage it beside mine, as I ride back.”

“Look George,” said Dick, “you needn’t come. I’ll order the flowers and I can bring your bike back too. So you stay with Anne.” Reluctantly George agreed.

Off went Julian and Dick, leaving Tinker and the girls to help Jenny. But Jenny soon sent Tinker off, afraid that he would drop things and break them.

“You go and be a nice, quiet, purring Rolls Royce at the bottom of the garden,” she said.“And when you think you’ve done thirty miles or so, come back for petrol.”

“Lemonade, you mean!” said Tinker, with a grin. “All right. I haven’t been a Rolls Royce for a long time. Dad won’t hear me right at the bottom of the garden!”

Off he went, and Jenny and the girls finished the washing-up. Mischief was a nuisance and went off with the teaspoons. He leapt to the top of a high cupboard, and dropped them there.

Tinker suddenly put his head in at the window. “Come on out in the field, where we’re going to put up our tents,” he called to Anne and George. “We’ll choose a nice sheltered spot. Buck up! You must have finished washing-up by now. I’m tired of being a Rolls Royce!”

“You go with him, Anne,” said George. “I don’t feel like it just now.”

So down the garden went the two children and out through a gate at the bottom into a big field.

“Good gracious!” said Tinker, staring. “Look at all those caravans coming in at the gate the other end of the field. I’ll soon send them off. It’s OUR field!” And away he marched to the gate in the distance.

“Come BACK, Tinker,” shouted Anne. “You’ll get into trouble if you interfere. COME BACK!”

But Tinker marched on, his head held high. Ha — he’d soon tell the caravan-folk it was HIS field!

Chapter Five

The Travelling Circus

Anne watched anxiously as Tinker went on and on over the field. There were now four caravans trundling in, at the far gate, and behind them, in the lane, were vans — enormous vans — all with enormously large words painted on them:

TAPPER’S TRAVELLING CIRCUS

“Hoo! I’ll tell Mr Tapper what I think of him, coming into my field!” said Tinker to himself. Mischief the monkey was on his shoulder, jogging up and down as Tinker marched along, muttering furiously.