Читать книгу Shock for the Secret Seven - Enid blyton - Страница 5

Table of Contents

The poor French boy looked scared to death, and hurriedly backed away down the path to the front gate, bowing most politely all the time. Susie went with him, apologizing to him at the top of her voice, so that all the others could hear.

‘I’m so sorry, Bony, but I’m afraid Peter has no manners at all. You really must excuse him, he’s never really learnt how to behave!’

‘I’d better go with them,’ said poor Jack. But Peter pulled him into the shed and banged the door so violently that the noise made Scamper leap up and bark loudly.

‘Now don’t you begin being a nuisance!’ said Peter to him, in such a loud voice that Scamper crept away, scared. Then Peter turned on Jack.

‘How dare you let Susie know the password? How dare you let anyone know we’d a meeting here today? And why aren’t you wearing your badge? You don’t deserve to be a member of the Secret Seven! And fancy bringing that awful boy here!’

‘I didn’t bring him here. Susie did,’ said poor Jack. ‘And how was I to know she was listening at the door of my bedroom when I was trying to learn the password by saying it over and over to myself? And I haven’t forgotten my badge. I didn’t wear it in case Susie saw it and followed me. She always knows I’m going to a Secret Seven meeting when I put on my badge. Look, I’ve got it here in my pocket! Anyway, I had to tell Mother I was going—she wanted to know why I couldn’t play with Bony. And don’t you glare at me like that!’

‘I’ll glare at you all I like!’ said Peter. ‘I tell you, you don’t deserve to be ...’

‘All right, all right. You’ve said that already,’ said Jack, glaring back. ‘If I don’t deserve to belong, I won’t belong! I’ll resign! I’ll walk out! Here’s my badge—take it, or I’ll throw it away. I don’t want it any more. I can’t help having a sister like Susie, can I? Well—now you can be the Secret Six! Goodbye!’

He took his badge out of his pocket and threw it down at Peter’s feet. Then he walked out of the door, his head high, ashamed of the sudden tears that came to his eyes. To leave the Secret Seven was the hardest thing Jack had ever done in his life!

Nobody stirred. They were all too shocked by Jack’s sudden and surprising outburst. Peter stared at the fallen badge, not knowing what to do or say.

But Scamper knew what to do! He tore out of the door, barking as if to say ‘Come back! Come back!’ He ran round Jack’s feet, and leapt up to lick him. But Jack pushed him away.

‘No. Get down. You’re not my friends any more.’

Scamper ran back to the shed, with his tail well down. He looked round at the others with big brown eyes, hurt and bewildered. Janet put her arm round him, and turned to her brother.

‘Peter. You aren’t going to let Jack go, are you? You know it wasn’t his fault.’

Barbara suddenly burst into tears, and began to sob loudly. Peter stared at her angrily.

‘Oh, don’t be such a baby, Barbara, for goodness’ sake! I’ll ask Jack to come back, of course—but he shouldn’t have lost his temper like that.’

‘You lost yours,’ sobbed Barbara. ‘This is the f-f-f-first t-t-t-t-time we’ve ever qu-qu-qu-quarrelled. I don’t l-l-like it.’

‘Let’s write a note to Jack,’ said Colin. ‘Let’s tell him we can’t do without him. Let’s say we’re sorry. Come on, Peter. You did go on at him, you know—and honestly, it’s not his fault that ...’

‘I know it’s not his fault that his sister is such a nuisance,’ said Peter, who was now feeling very uncomfortable indeed. ‘All right, we’ll write a note—at least, I’ll write it, and we can all sign it. Will that do? I’m sorry I lost my temper, I really am—but Susie’s enough to make anyone see red. Fancy having the nerve to bring that skinny fellow, Bony, to a Secret Seven meeting, too.’

‘She simply isn’t afraid of anything or anybody,’ said Pam. ‘It’s a pity really she doesn’t belong to the Secret Seven, she’s really very clever, you know, and ...’

‘Belong to the Secret Seven!’ said Peter, exploding again. ‘What a thing to say, Pam! Just shut up if you can’t think of anything better to say!’

‘There you go again—losing your temper!’ said Barbara, sticking up for Pam. ‘Come on, now, Peter—what about that letter to Jack? Let’s do it now. I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight if I thought poor old Jack didn’t belong to the Secret Seven any more.’

Peter sent Janet to the house to fetch some writing-paper. He felt ashamed of himself. He hadn’t meant to say all that to Jack—but that Susie, that awful sister Susie of his—well, he’d better not think of her any more, or he’d lose his temper all over again!

Soon Janet was back with writing-paper and an envelope. Solemnly they discussed what to say. In the end Peter wrote a short and apologetic note, signed by everyone.

He read it out to the others.

‘Dear Jack,

‘Please don’t let’s make mountains out of molehills. I’m awfully sorry for what I said. You know we can’t do without you! We can’t possibly be the Secret Six. We’re meeting again tomorrow evening, at six. Please come. I’m enclosing your badge. We all want you back.

‘From

‘peter, janet, pam, barbara, colin, george.’

‘Sounds all right,’ said George. ‘I bet he’ll be glad to get it.’

‘Scamper must sign it too,’ said Janet. She rubbed some ink on the underneath of the spaniel’s paw, and pressed it down on the paper, under their own signatures.

‘There!’ she said. ‘Jack will know that Scamper agrees about this too. Peter, who’s going to take the note? It ought to go at once.’

‘I’ll take it,’ offered George. ‘I go by his house. I’ll drop it in.’

‘Well, be careful Susie isn’t lying in wait for you,’ said Peter, licking the envelope. ‘Here you are—and remember, everyone—meet here tomorrow evening at six o’clock. The password had better be the same as today, as Jack won’t know any new one—and I daren’t put one in this note, in case Susie gets hold of it. Remember now—Toad-in-the-Hole!’

‘Right,’ said George, and took the note. ‘Let’s hope we’ll be the Secret Seven again tomorrow!’