“Guttish” escapades

This adventure story about four resourceful siblings, aged ten to fourteen, who are sent for the summer to stay with their hitherto unmet half-uncle Murdock, was first published in 1940, four years after Noel Streatfeild had made her name with Ballet Shoes. “Does he want us?” asks Sorrel, the oldest of the quartet – good question.

Uncle Murdock’s isolated mansion is staffed by discreet servants and a chauffeur who has no tongue. Staff run the children’s baths and unpack their luggage, including their formal attire for dinner with their uncle: “To the family, who were not used to such grandeur, they were an embarrassment”. Their days seem idyllic: scrumptious picnics on the dunes by the sea and a billiards room for play when it rains. The food is plentiful and delicious at a time when Britain was enduring shortages and rationing. At least, we are told how delicious it is, but Streatfeild never whets our appetites by itemizing it.

The setting of the story must have seemed outdated to its readers even in 1940, although the emotions of the children are convincing for their time. Only Wish, at nearly twelve years old, takes advantage of the dark to sob a little when she is frightened. The plot grows more sinister when a fifth, unseen child can be heard crying across the courtyard where the siblings are forbidden to go. Sorrel, who has always climbed “like a monkey”, slips down a drainpipe to reconnoitre. Her feelings of fear, and of overcoming fear, are realistically transmitted by Streatfeild. “She was guttish”, Edward says about his sister’s climbing to review the territory, and we agree.

The relationships between the children are drawn well, as are theirs with the kindly but fearful Katia, their minder. She takes them to the beach, but worries about them breaking the rules. The bay where they go is isolated, but a good swimmer like John can round the bluff. Because the seaside holiday offers so much to do, the four take some time to realize that they are imprisoned and to want to escape. The novel portrays well the separateness of all children off from adults in that era. Attempts to engage their half-uncle in conversation at dinner do not succeed, so he remains as inscrutable to us as he does to them. At a time when many children were evacuated, the novelty of the seaside setting also rings true. The Ruritanian feel is less convincing, but the exploits of the four children along the way make one cheer “Hurrah!”

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