arms when he saw his front gate, and dragged Emily up the path with a sudden burst of energy.
“Oh,
now
you’re all bouncy…” Emily muttered. “I think my arms are going to fall off.”
“It looks like he had a lovely time!” Mrs Everett laughed, opening her front door, and sidestepping as Charlie shot inside. “Goodness, where are you going?”
“He probably wants a drink of water,” Emily explained apologetically. “We went quite a long way, and he got worn out by the end of it. I carried him the last little bit – he just suddenly went all tired and feeble. Sorry…”
“Oh, but that’s good!” Mrs Everett assured her. “He hardly ever gets a good long walk like that now, and he is getting a little bit of a tummy. I’m sure he’ll get used to proper walks again in no time.” She sighed. “I just wish that I could take him myself.”
Emily nodded. She didn’t really know what to say – it must be so sad for Mrs Everett. It sounded like she’d loved taking Charlie out, before her knee got so bad, and she’d told Emily about all the different dogsshe’d owned over the years. She’d always had dogs around, and now she was feeling that she couldn’t look after Charlie properly.
Mrs Everett smiled at her. “Don’t worry, Emily, honestly. It’s lovely to know that he’s going to get proper walks. You’re a star. And I’ll tell your mum that, as well. I saw her and your gorgeous little sister in the shop this morning, and she did look a bit worried about your business venture. But I think you’re very clever.”
“It was my friend’s idea,” Emily explained rather shyly. “Mum and Dad love dogs, but there’s me and Sukie and my two brothers. They think a dog would be too much.”
Mrs Everett nodded. “Oh, well, it depends on the dog, doesn’t it? With that many people in the house already, you’d need a really nicely trained dog. Maybe not a puppy, they can be silly round small children.”
“I know.” Emily nodded. “I think we’d be all right – but it’s not up to me…” She sighed, and then grinned at the old lady. “But now I get to walk Charlie. I don’t think I’m very good at being in business, you know. I’d walk him for free.”
“You will not!” Mrs Everett gave her a pretend-fierce look. “I’ll pay you at the end of the week. AndI’ll tell any of my friends who might need a bit of dog-walking help, if you like. You could fit a couple more dogs in, don’t you think?”
Emily nodded. “Yes, please!” She leaned close to Mrs Everett to whisper. “I’m saving up to have my own dog, you see. One day I will.”
“This weekend’s going to be so exciting!” Maya leaned over Izzy’s shoulder. “What’s that a list of?”
“Stuff we need to bring.” Izzy frowned thoughtfully across the playground. “Sleeping bags. Camping mats to lie on. What’s the floor made out of, Emily? Is it muddy?”
“Ummm, well, it’s mud, but it’s not muddy, if you see what I mean.” Emily frowned. “Dry mud.”
Izzy wrinkled her nose and wrote down
groundsheets
.
“My mum said we maybe ought to bring our tent,” Emily said, looking at the list.
“But I thought we were sleeping in the barn?” Maya looked confused.
“Mmmm. But Dad pointed out it’s probably going to be really cold in such a big space. Especially as we’ll be sleeping on the floor. We’ve got a sort of pop-up tent, one that doesn’t need muchpegging out – it would be tricky to bang the pegs in, because the floor’s all trodden down and hard, you see. It would just be like a little bedroom inside the barn.”
Maya nodded. “I guess you’re the expert.”
Emily grinned at her. “It’s ages since I’ve been camping, though. I’m really looking forward to it.”
“You know what I’m not looking forward to?” Izzy said worriedly. “If we have to go to the loo in the middle of the night. I know you said the lady from the shelter’s letting us use her loo, but I don’t
“Oh,
now
you’re all bouncy…” Emily muttered. “I think my arms are going to fall off.”
“It looks like he had a lovely time!” Mrs Everett laughed, opening her front door, and sidestepping as Charlie shot inside. “Goodness, where are you going?”
“He probably wants a drink of water,” Emily explained apologetically. “We went quite a long way, and he got worn out by the end of it. I carried him the last little bit – he just suddenly went all tired and feeble. Sorry…”
“Oh, but that’s good!” Mrs Everett assured her. “He hardly ever gets a good long walk like that now, and he is getting a little bit of a tummy. I’m sure he’ll get used to proper walks again in no time.” She sighed. “I just wish that I could take him myself.”
Emily nodded. She didn’t really know what to say – it must be so sad for Mrs Everett. It sounded like she’d loved taking Charlie out, before her knee got so bad, and she’d told Emily about all the different dogsshe’d owned over the years. She’d always had dogs around, and now she was feeling that she couldn’t look after Charlie properly.
Mrs Everett smiled at her. “Don’t worry, Emily, honestly. It’s lovely to know that he’s going to get proper walks. You’re a star. And I’ll tell your mum that, as well. I saw her and your gorgeous little sister in the shop this morning, and she did look a bit worried about your business venture. But I think you’re very clever.”
“It was my friend’s idea,” Emily explained rather shyly. “Mum and Dad love dogs, but there’s me and Sukie and my two brothers. They think a dog would be too much.”
Mrs Everett nodded. “Oh, well, it depends on the dog, doesn’t it? With that many people in the house already, you’d need a really nicely trained dog. Maybe not a puppy, they can be silly round small children.”
“I know.” Emily nodded. “I think we’d be all right – but it’s not up to me…” She sighed, and then grinned at the old lady. “But now I get to walk Charlie. I don’t think I’m very good at being in business, you know. I’d walk him for free.”
“You will not!” Mrs Everett gave her a pretend-fierce look. “I’ll pay you at the end of the week. AndI’ll tell any of my friends who might need a bit of dog-walking help, if you like. You could fit a couple more dogs in, don’t you think?”
Emily nodded. “Yes, please!” She leaned close to Mrs Everett to whisper. “I’m saving up to have my own dog, you see. One day I will.”
“This weekend’s going to be so exciting!” Maya leaned over Izzy’s shoulder. “What’s that a list of?”
“Stuff we need to bring.” Izzy frowned thoughtfully across the playground. “Sleeping bags. Camping mats to lie on. What’s the floor made out of, Emily? Is it muddy?”
“Ummm, well, it’s mud, but it’s not muddy, if you see what I mean.” Emily frowned. “Dry mud.”
Izzy wrinkled her nose and wrote down
groundsheets
.
“My mum said we maybe ought to bring our tent,” Emily said, looking at the list.
“But I thought we were sleeping in the barn?” Maya looked confused.
“Mmmm. But Dad pointed out it’s probably going to be really cold in such a big space. Especially as we’ll be sleeping on the floor. We’ve got a sort of pop-up tent, one that doesn’t need muchpegging out – it would be tricky to bang the pegs in, because the floor’s all trodden down and hard, you see. It would just be like a little bedroom inside the barn.”
Maya nodded. “I guess you’re the expert.”
Emily grinned at her. “It’s ages since I’ve been camping, though. I’m really looking forward to it.”
“You know what I’m not looking forward to?” Izzy said worriedly. “If we have to go to the loo in the middle of the night. I know you said the lady from the shelter’s letting us use her loo, but I don’t
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