Читать книгу Three Cheers Secret Seven - Enid blyton - Страница 3

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‘I don’t see much sense in calling a Secret Seven meeting,’ said Janet to Peter. ‘There’s really nothing to discuss—no adventure or mystery anywhere—and I did want to finish reading my book.’

‘We haven’t had a meeting for three weeks,’ said Peter. ‘And if you’ve got something better to do than to belong to the Secret Seven and attend the meetings, well, do it! We can easily get somebody instead of you.’

‘Peter! Don’t be so cross!’ said Janet, quite horrified at the thought of not being a Secret Seven member. ‘Of course I want to belong. But it’s only really exciting when something is happening. Or if we’ve got plenty to eat and drink.’

‘Well, if the others bring what they promised we should have quite a nice feast,’ said Peter. ‘Do help me to tidy the shed ready for the others, Janet—you just sit there and do nothing!’

The two of them and Scamper were down at the meeting-shed getting ready for the other five. On the door were the big letters, S.S., and Scamper, the golden spaniel, sat outside as if guarding the shed. It was quite an ordinary shed in the usual way, but it seemed very important to Scamper when the Secret Seven held a meeting there.

‘Here comes someone,’ said Peter, as Scamper gave a small bark of welcome.

‘Rat-tat!’ There came a sharp knock on the closed door of the shed.

‘Password!’ called Peter. ‘And don’t yell it, please!’

‘Lollipops!’ said a voice, with a little giggle at the end.

‘That’s Pam,’ said Janet. ‘Come in, friend!’

Pam came in, carrying a small bag. ‘Hallo!’ she said. ‘Am I the first? I’ve brought some biscuits—but there aren’t many, I’m afraid.’

‘Wuff-wuff!’ said Scamper, from outside, and more footsteps could be heard.

‘Lollipops!’ said a low voice. And then another voice said, ‘Peppermints!’ and laughed.

Peter went to the door at once. George and Colin were there. ‘Come in, George,’ said Peter. ‘Stay out, Colin—you didn’t know the password.’

‘Oh, I say! That was only a joke!’ said Colin, hastily. ‘Honestly it was. Lollipops is such a silly password—I just improved on it by saying “peppermints”. Ask George if I didn’t really know the password. I told him it coming along. Didn’t I, George?’

‘Yes—he does know the password really, Peter,’ said George. ‘Let him in.’

‘Well, I will this time,’ said Peter. ‘Hallo, here comes Barbara—and Jack. But who’s that waiting about over there?’

‘It’s Susie!’ said Janet. ‘That horrid sister of Jack’s. I bet she’ll try to come to the meeting.’

‘Password, Barbara,’ said Peter. Barbara and Jack both remembered it and went into the shed. Peter watched Susie for a few moments, but she didn’t come any nearer, so he went in and shut the door of the shed. He left Scamper on guard outside.

‘On guard!’ he said, and Scamper sat down and waited, knowing perfectly well that he must bark if anyone came near. He watched Susie intently. If she dared to come one step nearer he would bark in his very fiercest voice!

Peter turned on Jack as soon as the shed-door closed. ‘Whatever do you want to bring that awful sister of yours here for?’ he demanded. ‘You know how often she’s upset our meetings, and got to know our passwords!’

‘Well, she’s promised not to come near our shed,’ said Jack. ‘And though I agree she’s an awful nuisance, she does keep her word, you know. She won’t disturb us, really she won’t.’

‘But why did you want to bring her at all?’ said Peter. ‘I don’t trust her one bit. I bet she wants to play some silly trick on us.’

‘She doesn’t. But I’ll tell you why I had to bring her,’ said Jack. ‘An American cousin of ours has sent her an aeroplane, and she can’t fly it by herself—and I’m longing to have a go at it—so we’re going to fly it after the meeting somewhere. We’ve left it under your hedge till the meeting is over.’

‘An aeroplane—what sort?’ said George, eagerly.

‘A smashing one,’ said Jack. ‘As big as this!’ and he held his arms out wide. ‘And it’s got some kind of clockwork to wind up the elastic bands that help it to fly. I tell you, it’s super!’

‘Fancy sending an aeroplane to Susie!’ said Peter, amazed. ‘An aeroplane for a girl! Why didn’t your cousin send it to you, Jack?’

‘Well, we were each asked what we wanted,’ said Jack. ‘I chose a cowboy rig-out—it’s fine—and Susie chose an aeroplane. Just like Susie to choose something I want when it comes. It’s miles nicer than my cowboy-suit.’

‘Would Susie let us come and see you fly it?’ asked George.

Jack looked doubtful. ‘I don’t know. She’s always rather cross about the Secret Seven, you know, because we keep her out of it.’

‘I tell you what!’ said Peter, quite changing his mind about Susie, now that she owned such a wonderful aeroplane. ‘Let’s not make this a Secret Seven meeting. Let’s take our food into the garden somewhere, and tell Susie she can join us—if she’ll let us help with the aeroplane.’

‘Right,’ said Jack. ‘I’ll ask her,’ and out he went to speak to Susie.

He came back at once. ‘Yes! She says she’ll join our feast, and we’ll go and fly the plane afterwards,’ he said, putting his head in at the shed. ‘Come on—bring out the food!’

So out they all went, and Susie joined them, grinning all over her freckled face.

‘Hallo!’ she said cheekily. ‘We’re not the Secret Seven this morning—we’re the Exciting Eight!’