William the Fourth by Richmal Crompton Page B

kidnappin’.’
    ‘I couldn’t get the money,’ said William. ‘I couldn’t make ’em listen properly. Let’s change, an’ me stay here an’ you go and get the
money’
    ‘All right,’ said Ginger. ‘I wun’t mind changing to do anything from this. What shall I say to ’em?’
    ‘You’d better say you must speak to ’em on life or death. I said that, but they kind of didn’t listen. They’ll p’raps listen to you.’
    ‘Well, I jolly well don’t mind goin’,’ said Ginger; ‘she’s a wearin’ kid.’
    He went out and shut the door.
    ‘Put the funny thing on your face,’ ordered Lady Barbara.
    ‘It’s not funny,’ said William coldly as he adjusted the mask.
    She danced round him, clapping her hands.
    ‘Dear, funny boy! An’ now make me the swing.’
    ‘I’m not goin’ to make you no swing,’ said William firmly
    ‘If you don’t make me a swing,’ she said, ‘I’ll sit down an’ I’ll scream an’ scream till I burst.’
    She began to grow red in the face.
    ‘There’s no rope,’ said William hastily.
    She pointed to a coil of old rope in a dark corner of the barn.
    ‘That’s rope, silly,’ she said.
    He took it out and began to look round for a suitable and low enough tree.
    ‘Be quick !’ ordered his victim.
    At last he had the rope tied up.
    ‘Now lift me in! Now swing me! Go on! More! More! M ORE ! Nice, funny boy!’
    She kept him at that for about half an hour. Then she demanded to be dragged round the barn in the packing-case.
    ‘Go on !’ she said. ‘Quicker! Quicker!’
    The fine, manly spirit of Rudolph of the Red Hand was almost broken. He began to look weary and disconsolate.
    When Ginger returned, Lady Barbara was wearing the mask and chasing William.
    ‘Go on!’ she said, ‘ ’tend to be frightened. ’Tend to be frightened. Go on!’
    William turned to Ginger.
    ‘Well?’ he said.
    Ginger looked rather dishevelled. His collar was torn away.
    ‘You might have told me,’ he said indignantly.
    ‘What?’ said William.
    ‘Go on !’ said Lady Barbara.
    ‘That they were like wild beasts up there. They set on me soon as I said what you told me.’
    ‘Well, did you get any money?’ said William.
    ‘Now, how could I?’ said Ginger irritably, ‘when they set on me like wild beasts soon as I said it.’
    ‘Go on !’ said Lady Barbara.
    ‘Well,’ said Rudolph of the Red Hand, slowly. ‘I’m jus’ about fed up.’
    ‘An’ you cudn’t be fed upper than I am,’ replied his gallant brave.
    ‘Well, let’s chuck it,’ said William. ‘It’s getting tea-time, an’ we’ve got no money, an’ I’m not going for it again.’
    ‘Nor’m I,’ said Ginger fervently
    ‘An’ I’m fed up with this kid.’
    ‘So’m I,’ said Ginger still more fervently.
    ‘Well, let’s chuck it.’
    He turned to Lady Barbara. ‘You can go home,’ he said.
    Her face fell.
    ‘I don’t want to go home,’ she said; ‘I’m going to stay with you always and always.’
    ‘Well, you’re not,’ said William shortly, ‘ ’cause we’re going home – so there.’
    He set off with Ginger across the fields. The kidnapped one ran lightly beside them.
    ‘I’m going where you go,’ she said. ‘I like you.’
    They felt that her presence would be difficult to explain to their parents. Dejectedly, they returned to the barn.
    ‘I’ll go an’ see if I can see anyone looking for her,’ said William.
    ‘Get down on your hands and knees and let me ride on your back,’ shouted Lady Barbara. Ginger wearily obeyed.
    William went out to the road and looked up it and down. There was no one there, except a man walking in the direction of the Grange. He smiled at the expression on William’s face.
    ‘Hello!’ he said, ‘Feeling sick, or lost something?’
    ‘We kidnapped a kid,’ said William disconsolately, ‘an’ we cudn’t get any money for her, an’ we can’t get rid of her.’
    The man threw back his head and laughed.
    ‘Awkward!’ he said, ‘By