Free Mystery of the Secret Room by Enid Blyton Page A

if hunting for something. “I left the others here,” he said. “But now they’re gone.”
    “And you was peeking in at all the windows to see if they’d slipped through a crack!” said Clear-Orf smartly.
    “How clever you are, Mr. Goon,” said Fatty. “You always think of such bright things. Do you know where the others are?”
    “Maybe I’ve arrested them all for playing on private property,” said Mr. Goon darkly. “You tell me what you’re all so interested in here, and I’ll tell you where the others are.”
    “Oh, Mr. Goon - will you really?” said Fatty, edging away. “Will you let them out of prison if I tell you? Have you told their parents yet that you’ve arrested them? What did they say?”
    “You stop cheeking of me,” said Clear-Orf. “And you tell me what’s making you hang about here? This house is empty and children aren’t allowed here.”
    Fatty went on edging away, and Mr. Goon went on edging after him, growing purple in the face. Of all the Five Find-Outers he detested Fatty most. Fortunately for Fatty he had Buster with him, and Buster, feeling that matters had gone quite far enough, began to growl.
    He then went to sniff at Mr. Goon’s ankles and the policeman kicked him away.
    “Look here, Mr. Goon, if you kick Buster, he’ll bite you, and I don’t blame him,” said Fatty, angry to hear the yelp that Buster made. “I shan’t call him off either, if he goes for you. You’ll deserve it.”
    Mr. Goon kicked at Buster again, and the dog flew at him, growling furiously. Mr. Goon, seeing two rows of sharp white teeth, got on his bicycle and rode off down the drive at top speed, Buster scurrying after him, barking all the way.
    “You haven’t heard the last of this!” yelled Clear-Orf, as he swung out of the gate. “I’ll get to the bottom of this, see if I don’t!”
    “Good-bye, and send me a post card when you get to the bottom!” yelled Fatty. “Buster, come here!”
     

Surprising News from Miss Crump
     
    The others were disappointed but not surprised to hear that Fatty had not been able to get the keys of Milton House.
    “It seems funny for Miss Crump to buy a house and not move into it,” said Larry. “Why should she just furnish one room at the top, and not tell any one about it? It’s a funny secret to have.”
    “We can’t very well go and ask her why she’s got that room at the top of the house like that,” said Daisy. “She’d be wild to think we had climbed the tree and looked in.”
    “Of course we can’t,” said Fatty. “But we could quite well go over and see her - think up some excuse, you know - and try to get her talking.”
    “What excuse can we give for going to see her in the dead of winter?” said Daisy.
    “Oh! - we shall be able to think of something,” said Fatty. “Good detectives can always find some way of getting into talk with people.”
    “What’s the address?” asked Pip.
    Fatty told him.
    “Well - we could easily go over there on our bikes,” said Larry, “I vote we do. I’m longing to get on with this mystery if we can.”
    “Yes, but what excuse can we give for going to see Miss Crump?” asked Daisy, who didn’t like the idea of butting in on an old lady without some very well-thought-out excuse.
    “Oh, Daisy, don’t fuss so!” said Fatty, who hadn’t yet thought of any excuse. “Leave it to me. We’ll go over there, look around a bit, and then see what’s the best way to get into talk with Miss Crumpet.”
    “Miss Crump, you mean,” said Bets with a giggle. “Don’t go calling her Crumpet.”
    “We can’t all go and see her,” said Daisy. “She’d be suspicious if five children descended on her to talk about Milton House.”
    “Well, I’ve gone to see two house-agents, and Pip discovered the mystery, so it’s your turn, or Larry’s or Bets’ turn to do something,” said Fatty generously. He would have liked to do everything himself, really, but a good leader gives every one else a chance, aad Fatty was a good leader.
    “Oh!” said Daisy, not quite liking the idea. “All right. But I think