Читать книгу Good Old Secret Seven - Enid blyton - Страница 4

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A fist banged on the door, and Peter called out at once. ‘Password, please.’

‘Wuff-wuff!’ said a voice, rather loudly.

‘Enter,’ said Peter, ‘and do remember not to say the password so that everyone can hear it for a mile around!’

‘Sorry!’ said George, coming in at the door, a grin on his face. ‘Did I sound like Scamper? I tried to.’

‘Well, you didn’t,’ said Janet. ‘You sounded exactly like yourself. Sit down, George. We thought you were Jack. He said he’d be here early, because he has something to show us.’

Knock-knock—somebody else had come. ‘Password!’ yelled Peter, and the answer came at once. ‘Wuff-wuff! Wuff-wuff!’

In came Pam and Barbara, beaming all over their faces. ‘Hallo! We’re not the last. Good!’

Bang-bang! ‘That must be Jack,’ said Janet, as Peter called out ‘Password, please!’ But it wasn’t. It was Colin. He marched in and shut the door smartly. ‘Hallo, everyone! I say, it’s nice and warm in here! What’s the meeting called for? Anything special?’

‘Yes,’ said Peter. ‘Jack asked me to call it. He has something jolly interesting to show us. I can’t think why he’s not here. It’s past ten, and he said he’d be early.’

‘I bet it’s that awful sister of his who’s stopping him coming,’ said Pam.

‘But how could she know about our meeting?’ said Peter. ‘Jack wouldn’t tell her, I’m sure.’

‘Here’s Jack,’ said Barbara, as more footsteps came down the path to the shed. Someone gave the door such a bang that they all jumped. Before Peter could call out ‘Password’ a voice shouted it loudly, ‘wuff-wuff’.

‘Enter!’ cried Peter, sure it was Jack’s voice. The door flew open—and there stood Susie, Jack’s sister! She grinned round at them.

‘Thanks for inviting me to your meeting,’ she said, and shut the door behind her. She sat down on a box before anyone could stop her.

‘Susie! How dare you!’ shouted Peter and Janet together. Peter threw the door open. ‘Go away!’ he said. ‘You know you’ve no right here. You don’t belong to the Secret Seven.’

‘Well, you’d better let me belong then,’ said Susie. ‘Because my mother says that the present Jack had from our Uncle Bob is to be shared between us! And as he’s bringing it here to show you today, I’ve come to share it too.’

Someone else came down the path, carrying something over his shoulder—something long and straight. There was a loud knock on the door, and the password was said very clearly.

‘Wuff-wuff,’ said Jack’s voice. It was exactly like Susie’s, so no wonder everyone had thought she was Jack!

‘Enter!’ called Peter. Jack came in, carrying his load carefully. He glared angrily at Susie.

‘How did she know our password, Jack?’ asked Peter, sternly. ‘Did you tell her?’

‘No, he didn’t. I just hid in a bush outside and listened,’ said Susie. ‘You needn’t glare at me like that, Jack. Mother said I could share that present, you know she did.’

‘Can’t we turn her out?’ said Pam, who didn’t like Susie at all. ‘She always tries to spoil everything!’

‘You just try to turn me out!’ said Susie, fiercely. ‘I don’t want to come to your silly old meetings—but I tell you, I’m going to share Jack’s present as much as any of you are.’

Peter looked at her in despair. What could you do with a girl like Susie? If they tried to turn her out she would probably shout and yell, and bring his mother down to see what was the matter—and Mother might even agree that Susie should stay and hear what Jack said about his present.

‘Tomorrow Binkie, my friend, is coming to stay with me,’ said Susie. ‘And I’ve said she can share the present too—my half of it, I mean.’

‘Binkie—that awful little rabbit-face?’ said George, in horror. ‘That silly giggler—that ...’

Everyone groaned. Susie alone was bad enough, but when she and Binkie were together the two girls were impossible.

‘Well—what are you going to do?’ asked Susie. ‘All rush on me together and throw me out? Or let me stay here at the meeting?’

Peter made up his mind quickly. On no account could Susie attend one of the Secret Seven meetings. On the other hand they couldn’t throw her out. She would make such a fuss! Very well then—he must declare the meeting ended, and say that there would be no proper meeting, but just a talk about Jack’s present, whatever it was.

‘I declare this Secret Seven meeting ended,’ he said, in a loud voice. ‘We will all go indoors and see Jack’s present in our playroom. I will not have strangers present at our secret meetings.’ He got up, and all the others stood too—except Susie.

‘All right, all right—you win,’ she said. ‘Your mother would be cross with me, I know, if I go indoors with you. She’ll think I’ve interfered. But just you listen for a minute, and hear my side of the question!’