Читать книгу Good Old Secret Seven - Enid blyton - Страница 5

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But before Susie could go on, footsteps pattered up to the shed-door, and someone scraped at the bottom. ‘Password!’ shouted Peter, and a doggy voice answered at once, ‘wuff-wuff-wuff!’

‘Enter, Scamper,’ said Peter. ‘But you said too many wuffs! Clever dog, to remember the password!’

That made them all laugh, even Susie. Scamper trotted in and licked everyone in delight. Then he lay down at Peter’s feet, panting. ‘You’re late, Scamper,’ said Peter. ‘But it doesn’t matter because I’ve declared the meeting ended. Susie, if you’ve anything to say, say it, and go.’

‘All right,’ said Susie. ‘That thing Jack has brought is a present from our Uncle Bob, who was once a sailor. It’s a telescope—and a jolly fine one, too!’

‘A telescope!’ said everyone, excited. Yes—now they could see that it was. Jack began to take off the wrappings sulkily, as Susie went on talking.

‘Well, Jack’s idea was to bring it down here and give it to the Secret Seven,’ said Susie. ‘But Mother said Uncle Bob meant me to share it—and I didn’t see why you Secret Seven should have it all. I knew I’d never see it once it was installed in this shed. So I argued with Jack ...’

‘Shouted the place down, you mean!’ said poor Jack.

‘And Mother heard, and she came, and she said Jack was to share the telescope with me, though she was pleased that the Secret Seven could look through it too. And Jack said he didn’t care what Mother said, he wasn’t going to let me share any of it—so I shot off by myself and came to the meeting to tell you all this.’

‘And left me behind with Mother in a real rage,’ said Jack. ‘I’m so sorry, everyone. I meant to leave the telescope here in the shed, so that we could all use it, and look at all sorts of things in the distance—the different cars going along the hillside road—the castle on the hill—the herons on the old pond—it would have been such fun.’

‘Yes—fun for you—but not for me!’ said Susie. ‘And what about Binkie? You want to share the telescope with Peter and Janet and the rest, don’t you—well, I want to share it with Binkie!’

‘I shouldn’t think Binkie knows what a telescope is!’ said Jack. ‘Her head’s full of wool, not brains! She won’t want to use a telescope.’

‘Now listen,’ said Peter, making up his mind quickly. ‘You’ll have to share with Susie, Jack, if your mother says so. But why shouldn’t we keep it down here in the shed, so that any of us can use it at any time? Not at a special meeting or anything like that.’

‘We’d have to keep the shed locked, then,’ said Jack. ‘This telescope is quite valuable, Uncle said. But that means that Susie will have to know where the key is!’

‘Well—as long as she doesn’t try to come to any of our meetings again and spoil them as she has spoilt today’s, I don’t see why she shouldn’t know where the key is,’ said Peter. ‘We’ve got to be fair about this, Jack. I bet my mother would say I’d got to share with Janet if someone gave me something fine like this telescope. Let’s be fair.’

‘All right,’ said Jack, gloomily. ‘Be fair. But don’t blame me if Susie and Binkie spy on us and find out all our secrets and passwords and everything.’

‘Let’s have something to eat and drink,’ said Janet. ‘We’ll all feel better then. You’d better have some too, Susie. Being cross always makes people hungry.’

‘Well, I’m not hungry,’ said Susie, getting up. ‘But thank you all the same, Janet. I know when I’m not wanted. I only came to say I’m going to share the telescope.’

‘Wait a bit,’ said Colin, seeing that Susie was near tears, for all her boldness. ‘Before you go we’d better arrange where the key is to be hidden. Then you’ll know where to look for it.’

‘Tell Jack, and he can tell me,’ said Susie, stalking out of the door. ‘Goodbye, stuck-ups! Wait till I tell Binkie about this!’

She slammed the door so hard that Scamper jumped and began to bark. Jack looked round at the others, feeling ashamed of his sister.

‘Susie’s got such a temper,’ he said. ‘I’m so sorry about this.’

‘Let’s not talk about Susie,’ said Janet. ‘She didn’t go off because she didn’t want to share our food—she went because she was afraid she was going to cry. And I can just imagine how awful she’d feel if she did—in front of all of us!’

So nobody said another word about Susie, but tucked into currant buns and macaroons and hot cocoa. Scamper had his share, and thoroughly enjoyed himself. He went to sniff all round the big, strange-looking parcel that Jack had brought into the shed.

‘No one seems interested in my telescope except Scamper,’ said Jack, in a forlorn voice. ‘And I was so very excited about it.’

Peter clapped him on the shoulder. ‘So are we! Come on—let’s see this wonderful present!’