Читать книгу Puzzle for the Secret Seven - Enid blyton - Страница 3

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‘Hallo!’ shouted a voice over the wall, and Scamper barked loudly at once. Peter and Janet looked up from their gardening.

‘Oh, hallo, Jack!’ said Peter, pleased. ‘Stop barking, Scamper! Anyone would think you hadn’t seen Jack for a month. Come on in, Jack. Any news?’

‘Yes. Rather nice news,’ said Jack, wheeling his bicycle in at the front gate. ‘My mother won a pound at the whist drive last night—and she’s given it to me to take all the Secret Seven over to the fair at Hilly-Down today. Can you and Janet come?’

‘I say—how decent of your mother,’ said Peter, and Janet beamed. She had so badly wanted to go to the fair, but she and Peter were saving up for their father’s birthday.

‘There’s just one thing, though,’ said Jack, seriously. ‘Susie will have to come too—and she’s got an awful friend staying with her, called Binkie. Mother says the money’s for them too.’

‘Oh well—we can put up with Susie for once in a way,’ said Peter. ‘After all, it’s not as if we were going out to solve some mystery, or are in the middle of an adventure. You tell your mother we’re very, very grateful. What time shall we meet?’

‘Let’s go after tea, when there are crowds of people at the fair,’ said Jack. ‘And stay till the lights are on. I love those great flaring lights they have. Let’s meet at about five o’clock at the bus-stop in the High Street. And don’t pay any attention to Susie and Binkie if they giggle all the time!’

‘We certainly won’t,’ said Peter. ‘Righto, then—meet you at five o’clock. Are all the others coming?’

‘Yes. I’ve been round to them,’ said Jack, getting on his bicycle. ‘We’ll have at least ten pence each to spend, and some of the others are bringing a bit more too. See you at five, then!’

He rode off, ringing his bell in farewell. Peter and Janet were pleased. ‘We’d better ask Mother,’ said Janet. ‘Though I’m sure she’ll say we can go—especially as we’ve promised to garden all day!’

Mother said of course they could go, and she would add twenty-five pence to the money Jack’s mother had given. Scamper listened to it all, wagging his tail. He looked up at Peter and gave a little whine.

‘He wants to know if he can go too,’ said Peter, with a laugh. ‘Yes, if you can keep up with our bikes, Scamper, old thing. You’re getting a bit fat, you know!’

Scamper barked joyfully. There was nothing he liked better than an outing with the Secret Seven.

‘You haven’t had many meetings lately, down in your shed,’ said Mother. ‘Has the Secret Seven broken up?’

‘Oh no, Mother!’ said Peter and Janet together, quite shocked. Mother laughed.

‘Well, a week of your Easter holidays has already gone, and you haven’t asked me for cakes and lemonade for one of your mysterious meetings yet,’ she said. ‘And I bought quite a big tin of biscuits, thinking I’d have to supply you Seven with something to nibble at your meetings!’

‘Nothing’s happened yet for us to call a meeting about,’ said Janet. ‘But we’ve still got two weeks’ holiday left.’

‘Woof!’ said Scamper, agreeing heartily, and wagging his tail.

‘Your life is all holiday, Scamper!’ said Peter. ‘You don’t do a single stroke of work—and it’s no good your trying to tell me that you helped us with the digging this morning! All you were doing was digging up a bone you’d hidden!’

At five o’clock quite a crowd of children arrived on bicycles at the bus-stop in the High Street. First came Peter and Janet, punctual as usual, because Peter said that as leader he must always be on time. Just after came Colin, out of breath with racing along fast in case he was late. Then came Pam and Barbara together, with George shouting behind.

‘Six of us,’ said Janet. ‘We just want Jack and Susie and Binkie. What a name! We once had a rabbit called Binkie, do you remember, Peter? It had a dear little twitchy nose, and teeth that stuck out.’

‘Here they are,’ said George, as three children came cycling quickly round the corner. ‘Hallo, Jack!’

‘Sorry we’re last,’ said Jack. ‘But you know what Susie is—couldn’t find her purse, didn’t know where her bike was ...’

‘Oooh, you fibber,’ said Susie. ‘You know you kept us waiting while you pumped up your front tyre. Binkie, this is the rest of the wonderful Secret Seven that I told you Jack belonged to.’

Binkie beamed all round, and Janet nudged Peter in delight. ‘She’s like our rabbit!’ she said, in a low voice. ‘Exactly!’

Peter wanted to laugh, because Janet was right. Binkie had a funny little twitchy nose, and teeth just like a rabbit. She only needed nice long furry ears. She was a terrible chatterbox, even worse than Susie.

‘Oh, I say!’ she said, in a breathless voice. ‘It’s so nice to meet you all. Susie’s told me all about you. And is this Scamper? Oh my, isn’t he lovely? I’ve got a dog at home too, but he’s a terrier, and you should see him catch a ...’

‘Shut up, Binkie,’ said Jack, firmly. ‘And please don’t wobble on your bike when you ride with us. I never saw such a wobbler before!’

‘Oh well, you see, it’s because I always ...’ began Binkie, but nobody listened. They all rode off, chattering and laughing, Scamper running delightedly with them.

The fair was about a mile and a half away at Hilly-Down. It was in a big field, and as the children topped the last hill and looked down on the gay sight they were full of delight.

‘All those tents and stalls, and flags flying and fluttering!’ said Jack, as he cycled down the hill.

‘And the roundabout! I can hear its music quite clearly,’ said Janet. ‘Oooh, Binkie, don’t wobble so—you nearly had me off.’

They came to the entrance of the field, and went in. They stacked their bicycles carefully together in a corner, and Peter called to Scamper.

‘On guard, Scamper!’ he said, pointing to the nine bicycles. ‘On guard, old boy!’

Scamper badly wanted to go with them, but he felt proud to be on guard. He wagged his tail and lay down by the bicycles. Peter patted him, and turned to the others.

‘Now come on,’ he said. ‘Into the fair we go!’