Nora brought in five eggs for breakfast. Peggy fried them with two trout that Jack had caught on his useful lines. The smell was delicious!
I say! Poor old Daisy must be milked! said Jack, gobbling down his breakfast and drinking his hot cocoa.
Suddenly Nora gave a squeal and pointed behind him. Jack turned - and to his great astonishment he saw the cow walking towards him!
You wouldnt go to milk her in time so she has come to you! laughed Peggy. Good old Daisy! Fancy her knowing the way!
Nora Gets into Trouble
There seemed quite a lot of jobs always waiting to be done each day on the island. Daisy had to be milked. The hens had to be seen to. The fishing-lines had to be baited and looked at two or three times a day. The fire had to be kept going. Meals had to be prepared and dishes washed up. Willow House had to be tidied up each day, for it was surprising how untidy it got when the four children were in it even for an hour.
Ill milk Daisy each morning and Mike can milk her in the evenings, said Jack, as they sat eating their breakfast that morning. Nora, you can look after the hens. It wont only be your job to feed them and give them water and collect the eggs, but youll have to watch the fence round the hen-yard carefully to see that the hens dont peck out the heather weve stuffed into the fence to stop up the holes. We dont want to lose our hens!
What is Peggy going to do? asked Nora.
Peggy had better do the odd jobs, said Jack. She can look after the fire, think of meals and tidy up. Ill see to my fishing-lines. And every now and again one or other of us had better go to the top of the hill to see if any more trippers are coming. Our plans worked quite well last time - but we were lucky enough to spot the boat coming. If we hadnt seen it when we did, we would have been properly caught!
Id better go and get the boat out from where I hid it under the overhanging bushes, hadnt I? said Mike, finishing his cocoa.
No, said Jack. It would be a good thing to keep it always hidden there except when we need it. Now Im off to milk Daisy!
He went off, and the children heard the welcome sound of the creamy milk splashing into a saucepan, for they still had no milking-pail. Mike and Jack were determined to get one that night! It was so awkward to keep milking a cow into saucepans and kettles!
Peggy began to clear away and wash up the dishes. Nora wanted to help her, but Peggy said she had better go and feed the hens. So off she went, making the little clucking noise that the hens knew. They came rushing to her as she climbed over the fence of their little yard.
Nora scattered the seed for them, and they gobbled it up, scratching hard with their strong clawed feet to find any they had missed. Nora gave them some water, too. Then she took a look round the fence to see that it was all right.
It seemed all right. The little girl didnt bother to look very hard, because she wanted to go off to the raspberry patch up on the hillside and see if there were any more wild raspberries ripe. If she had looked carefully, as she should have done, she would have noticed quite a big hole in the fence, where one of the hens had been pecking out the bracken and heather. But she didnt notice. She picked up a basket Peggy had made of thin twigs, and set off.
Are you going to find raspberries, Nora? called Peggy.
Yes! shouted Nora.
Well, bring back as many as you can, and well have them for pudding at dinner-time with cream! shouted Peggy. Dont eat them all yourself!
Come with me and help me! cried Nora, not too pleased at the thought of having to pick raspberries for everyone.
Ive got to get some water from the spring, called back Peggy; and I want to do some mending.
So Nora went alone. She found a patch of raspberries she hadnt seen yesterday, and there were a great many ripe. The little girl ate dozens and then began to fill her basket with the sweet juicy fruit. She heard Jack taking Daisy the cow back to her grassy field on the other side of the island. She heard Mike whistling as he cut some willow stakes down in the thicket, ready for use if they were wanted. Everyone was busy and happy.
Nora sat down in the sun and leaned against a warm rock that jutted out from the hillside. She felt very happy indeed. The lake was as blue as a forget-me-not down below her. Nora lazed there in the sun until she heard Mike calling:
Nora! Nora! Wherever are you! Youve been hours!
Coming! cried Nora, and she made her way through the raspberry canes, round the side of the hill through the heather and bracken, and down to the beach, where all the others were. Peggy had got the fire going well, and was cooking a rabbit that Jack had produced.
Where are the raspberries? asked Jack. Oh, youve got a basketful! Good! Go and skim the cream off the milk in that bowl over there, Nora. Put it into a jug and bring it back. There will be plenty for all of us.
Soon they were eating their dinner. Peggy was certainly a good little cook. But nicest of all were the sweet juicy raspberries with thick yellow cream poured all over them. How the children did enjoy them!