Antony Buckeridge - Jennings and His Friends

"Well, sir, if, for example, I was centre forward for the white shirts and I kicked the ball to Temple who was on my right, and there was nobody in front of him, and he didn't get the ball, and Venables, who was centre forward for the green shirts, got it and kicked it to Jennings who kicked it to Atkinson who played for the green shirts, and Bromwich was coming behind him in a white shirts, and there was nobody in front of him, will it be off side, sir?"

"I don't understand you, Darbishire. Will who be off side?"

"Well, Bromwich, for example, sir. Or if not Bromwich, then one of the others."

"I don't understand what you are talking about. Darbishire. Let's go to my room, and I'll give you a book of rules of the game." He turned and left the football field.

"Oh, don't go, sir. Please, don't go. Do you think I played well this afternoon, sir?"

"No, I don't think so, Darbishire."

"Can you show me how to play football well, sir?"

"Not in these shoes, thank you," Mr Wilkins pointed to his new shoes. "Then it's too cold here. I'm going to my room to light the fire. The Headmaster is going to visit me at 4 o'clock, and... Well Darbishire, where are your spectacles?"

"My spectacles!" exclaimed Darbishire. "I've lost hem. I know I had them when we began to play."

Mr Wilkins and Darbishire went back to the football field. After some time they found the spectacles near the goal.

"Jennings has had a lot of time to get that parcel from the chimney, my spectacles helped him," thought Darbishire. He thanked Mr Wilkins for help and let him go.

Jennings hurried from the football field and went to Mr Wilkins' room. He opened the door and went in. He looked at the fireplace. A fire was laid and Jennings understood that Mr Wilkins was going to light the fire. "It's a good thing I've come now," he thought.

He hurried to the fireplace and put his hand up the chimney. There was nothing there.

"Old Wilkie has found it," he said to himself. "No," he thought at once, "Old Wilkie is not a man to keep it a secret."

Jennings put his head up the chimney but he couldn't see anything.

At that moment he heard footsteps in the corridor. "Will they pass by or will they come in?" he thought.

The door opened and Mr Pemberton, the Headmaster, stood in the doorway. Mr Pemberton looked at Jennings and saw soot on his face and hands.

"May I ask what you are doing, Jennings?"

"I... I... was putting my head up the chimney, sir."

"I can see that, but I can't understand why!"

"I wanted to see how far I could see up the chimney."

"I see." Mr Pemberton was an old teacher. He knew that twelve-year-old boys could sometimes do the things that no teacher could hope to understand. So he wasn't surprised when Jennings told him why he was putting his head up the chimney.

"I think, Jennings, that Mr Wilkins has sent you here," said the Headmaster. "But you mustn't come to his room in your football boots. Go down and change them."

"Yes, sir."

Jennings left Mr Wilkins' room and went to change his football boots.

Near the changing-room he met Darbishire.

"Is everything all right?" asked Darbishire. I kept Old Wilkie out in the field but you didn't wave your hand to me. It's a good thing you took the parcel, because Old Wilkie has gone to his room to light the fire."

"What?"

"Yes, he wants to make the room warm because the Headmaster is going to visit him."

"But I haven't got the parcel from the chimney."

"What?"

"The Headmaster came into the room, saw me in my football boots and told me to go and change them."

"But why didn't you take off your football boot's? No, what I mean is..."

"Never mind, Darbi. I have a new plan. We'll go fishing."

"No, we can't go fishing. We must get that parcel back."

"Yes, I know. Listen, Darbi. If we can't get the parcel from below let's get it from above. All we need is a big hook and a long piece of string."

Mr Wilkins chimney was on a flat roof. The boys could get there from an attic-window, drop the hook down the chimney and get the parcel from it. That was Jennings' new plan.

The boys changed out of their football kit quickly. Then they found a big hook and a long string, went up to the attic-window, then out of the attic-window onto the roof and hurried to Mr Wilkins' chimney.

Mr Wilkins sat on a chair near his fire. It was warm in the room and he did not want to light the fire yet. He was listening to the Headmaster who was talking about Algebra lessons in the school.

Suddenly Mr Wilkins looked at the fireplace and saw something. He could not believe it! He closed his eyes, opened them, and looked at the fireplace again, the thing was still there.

"Are you listening to me, Wilkins?" said Mr Pemberton.

The Headmaster looked at the fireplace too, and saw a big hook. It was swinging from side to side. For a moment Mr Palmerton and Mr Wilkins looked at the hook, in surprise.

Then the Headmaster spoke.

"What is it?" he said.

"It's a hook," said Mr Wilkins.

"Yes, yes, I can see that, Wilkins. But what is it doing in your fireplace? Do you boil kettles in you fireplace?"

"No, no, I don't boil kettles. When I want a cup of tea I usually go to Matron's room. She often makes tea at 5 o'clock, and..."

"Excuse me, Wilkins, but this is not the moment to talk about tea. Somebody is up on the roof. I think you must go and see who it is."

"Yes, yes, of course," said Mr Wilkins and hurried out of the room.

When he left the room Mr Pemberton looked at the fireplace again. But he did not see the hood there.

"Now, I wonder what is going on up there," he said to himself.

When Jennings and Darbishire came out onto the roof they saw not one, but more than twenty chimneys.

"Do you know which is Mr Wilkins' one?" asked Jennings.

"No, I don't," answered Darbishire. "But I think Mr Wilkins has already lit his fire. So his chimney must be one of those with smoke."

"Don't be silly, Darbi. If he has lit the fire, the smoke won't come out. It will go into his room. Let's listen at the chimneys without smoke and see if we can hear any coughing."

They listened at every chimney without smoke but could not hear any coughing. At last Jennings chose a chimney and dropped the hook down.

"It's either this one or the next," he said, "because Mr Wilkins' window looks... Oh, Darbi! There is something on the hook."

"Can you take it up?"

"I don't know. I think I can." Jennings pulled the string. "I've got it," he cried. "I've got it!"

Darbishire began to dance. But he stopped when he saw that it was not the parcel, but a bird's nest.

"Wrong chimney," said Jennings and went to another chimney.

He dropped the hook again and began to swing it.

"Wrong chimney again," said Jennings. "It's empty: I can swing the hook from side to side. Look, Darbi."

"How can I see what is going on down the chimney" asked Darbishire.

Of course, Darbishire could not see it, but Mr Wilkins could. It was at that moment that Mr Wilkins saw the hook.

Jennings pulled the hook out. "I'll look down every chimney now," he thought. "If there is nothing in the chimney I'll see the light from the fireplace." He put his face to the chimney and looked down.

"What are you doing?" asked Darbishire.

"I'm looking down the chimney. I want to see the light," , answered Jennings. But Darbishire did not hear the answer because it went straight down the chimney. It was Matron's room. She was making tea when she heard a voice in the chimney. She started and the cup of tea danced in her hands.

"I can't see anything," Jennings said.