Bunter the Caravanner - Friardale

'Not Tennyson?' asked Nugent.
'No. Shakespeare!' said Bunter, positively. 'You see, I know
these things, and you don't! Shakespeare!'
'Any old thing,' agreed Nugent.
Harry Wharton rose, and the others followed his example.
'We shall have to get back and let them know at home that we're
going caravanning, and bring our things along,' said Harry. 'See
you again in the morning, Bunter. What time are you thinking of
starting?'
'Oh, fairly early,' answered Bunter. 'I'm not going to encourage
you fellows to slack about, simply because we're on holiday.'
Johnny Bull opened his lips, but closed them again. 'Say about
ten o'clock,' said Bunter, after due reflection. 'That will suit
me. Be on time.'
'Oh, we'll be on time all right, even if you're starting so
fearfully early as ten in the morning,' said Bob, with a mild
sarcasm that was quite wasted on Bunter.
'Well, don't keep me hanging about,' said Bunter. He heaved
himself out of the wicker chair. 'I'll walk as far as the callbox
with you - I've got to let the pater know that I'm going
caravanning with you fellows.'
'You mean that we're going caravanning with you,' said Nugent,
with a stare.
'Eh? Oh! Yes! Exactly! That's what I mean.'
The fat Owl rolled out of the field with the Famous Five. At the
phone-box he ran his hands through his pockets. 'Got any coppers
about you?' he asked. 'I find I've nothing smaller than a five
pound note.'
A five pound note - if Bunter had one - was evidently of no use
in the call-box. However, the necessary coppers were
forthcoming, and the Famous Five walked on and left Bunter to
phone. And from that phone-call Mr. Bunter, at Bunter Villa,
undoubtedly had the impression that his hopeful son had, as
usual, affixed himself to a party of Greyfriars fellows for the
hols. The circumstances, which seemed even to the fat and
fatuous Owl a bit odd, would certainly have seemed very odd
indeed to his honoured parent, had Bunter gone into details. So
the artful fat Owl did not fill in any details. Having apprised
Mr. Bunter that he would not, after all, be home for the
holidays, Billy Bunter rolled back to his camp in a state of
complete satisfaction and cheery anticipation.
Harry Wharton and Co. walked back to Wharton Lodge in a somewhat
puzzled frame of mind. However, the matter was settled now, and
bright and early in the sunny spring morning they turned out -
to go caravanning with Billy Bunter.