Читать книгу Secret Seven Fireworks - Enid blyton - Страница 5

Table of Contents

The Seven trooped into the shed and looked round. ‘Better get a few boxes, as you said, Peter,’ said Janet. ‘Pam, you come with me—I know where there are some. You boys sweep out the shed a bit. It’s messy with onion skins.’

Before long all the Seven, with Scamper thumping his tail happily on the ground, were seated on boxes round the shed. They felt quite tired after all their shovelling and wheeling of barrows!

‘Now, we’ve met to discuss plans for Bonfire Night,’ said Peter, in a business-like way. ‘It’s still some time ahead, but it takes a good while to save up money for fireworks. Also we’ll have to discuss a guy.’

‘I vote we make a guy exactly like Susie,’ said Pam. ‘Awful girl!’

‘No. Susie would simply love that,’ said Jack, at once. ‘She’d go round boasting about it. I vote we make a nice big guy—one that would look fine on top of a bonfire.’

‘Oooh yes—and let’s have a smashing bonfire!’ said Barbara. ‘The biggest we’ve ever made. We made a pretty big one last year, but I’d like a most enormous one. I love to see the flames blaze high!’

‘Right. We’ll have a great big bonfire—and a guy to match,’ said Peter. ‘That means we’ll have to begin collecting stuff for it at once. It takes ages to build a big pile of burnable stuff.’

‘Where shall we have it?’ asked Colin.

‘In my garden,’ said Barbara. ‘Then the next door kids could see it.’

‘No. It’s too far for us all to bring wood there,’ said Peter. ‘Actually I think it would be a good idea to have it in the big field just at the bottom of our garden here—for one thing there’s a lot of dead wood in the hedges and in the little wood nearby, and it wouldn’t be very far to carry it.’

‘Yes. That’s a good idea,’ said Jack. ‘We could have a simply enormous one out there in the field. We could meet in the wood, and collect dead twigs and branches together—that would be more fun than getting it on our own and dragging it here.’

‘Right. That’s settled then,’ said Peter. ‘We’re getting on. Now about saving up for fireworks.’

‘We’ll all bring what we can, as we usually do,’ said Barbara. ‘I’ve got a bit of money in my savings box already that I can bring. Who shall be treasurer?’

‘Better vote for one,’ said Peter. He took out his notebook and tore a page from it. He then tore the page into seven neat strips, and handed a strip to each person. ‘Everyone got a pencil?’ he said. ‘You haven’t, Pam—well take mine for a minute. Now—write down the person you think would be a good treasurer—someone to hold the money for us, and keep it safe, and count it each time we bring any. They’ll have to keep the figures in a book, so that we know what we’ve got, and who brought it. Ready? Write the name down then of the one you want. It must be someone good at figures, of course. We don’t want a muddle made of our money.’

They all sucked or chewed their pencils and frowned. A good treasurer? One who could manage figures well? One who wouldn’t make a muddle?

They each scribbled a name on their piece of paper, folded it and handed it in to Peter. He unfolded each one—and then grinned.

‘Hm—well!’ he said. ‘You all seem to think I’m the one—six votes for me! Thanks awfully.’

‘But there are seven of us!’ said Pam, surprised. ‘Who didn’t vote for you?’

‘I didn’t vote for myself, silly!’ said Peter. ‘Actually I voted for Jack. Well, that’s settled. We’ll meet here in the shed each Saturday at ten o’clock—unless we make different plans. Bring any firework money you have then. And when it’s all written down in our fireworks book, we’ll go off into the field and the wood and collect stuff for the bonfire.’

‘Good,’ said George, pleased. ‘It’s fun to be doing something again. We oughtn’t to let so much time go by without a meeting.’

‘What about a guy?’ asked Colin. ‘Who’s going to see about him?’

‘I think the three girls had better make a big, stuffed body,’ said Peter. ‘They are more likely to get stuff for the guy than we are. And they can sew better than we can.’

‘Gracious—you can’t sew at all!’ said Janet. ‘I’ve just thought of something. Mother said that old eiderdown off your bed was no good now—it’s got the moth in. We could use that for the body—all nicely squashed up.’

‘Oh yes,’ said Barbara. ‘That’s a very good idea. And I believe we’ve got a dirty old rug somewhere in the loft at home too—that would help to make a good fat body!’

‘Well, you girls have got some good ideas,’ said Peter. ‘We’ll decide about clothes at another meeting. We’d better see the size of the guy’s body before we try to fit him out with clothes.’

‘Don’t make him too enormous,’ said Jack. ‘Else we shan’t be able to get old clothes to fit him!’

‘Well—I think it’s time we brought this very interesting meeting to an end,’ said Peter. ‘What about sweeping out this shed, and getting that old table we had, and putting up a shelf again?’

‘Yes. We’ll do that,’ said Colin, getting up. ‘Oh sorry, Scamper—did I tread on your tail? Hallo—who’s this coming? If it’s Susie, let’s all chase her up the path!’

But it wasn’t Susie. It was Peter’s mother, carrying a tray of lemonade and biscuits.

‘I don’t know the password!’ she said. ‘But please let me in. If I say “Lemonade and biscuits!” will that do?’

‘Oh Mother—you are a brick!’ said Peter, in delight. He opened the door. ‘Come in—we’re all here—and we’ve had a marvellous meeting, and made all kinds of plans!’

‘Well, it’s nice to see the Secret Seven together again,’ said his mother, setting down the tray on a box. ‘There now—there are a few dog biscuits for Scamper, because I know he doesn’t like being left out.’

‘Wuff wuff!’ said Scamper, gratefully, and licked her hand.

Everyone settled down to eat and drink. They felt very happy. They had made plans—good ones too—and they could all work together once more, and meet each week—perhaps oftener.

‘Well—here’s to Bonfire Night!’ said Peter, lifting up his glass. ‘And a Jolly Big Guy!’