Free William The Outlaw by Richmal Crompton Page A

utilises his enemy’s weak points. . . . I can’t of course suggest or connive at any plan of action, but
I’ll help you. I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’ll offer a two pound box of chocolate creams as a prize for some competition. That brings in one weakness. I leave it to your
ingenuity to make good use of the other. Georgie would, I believe, do anything for chocolate creams – I wish you good luck. Good day.’
    The famous cousin disappeared leaving the Outlaws gaping and mystified. But his visit had heartened them. The knowledge that one grown-up at least saw Georgie the Perfect Little Gentleman as he
really was gave them a fresh confidence in the righteousness of their cause. Their despondency dropped from them.
    ‘Let’s go back to the others,’ said William briskly, ‘an’ see what he’s goin’ to say about the chocolate creams.’
    They emerged on the lawn and made their way to the group around Mrs Murdoch. Beside Mrs Murdoch stood Georgie still immaculately clean and smugly smiling, with curls that glinted in the sun.
    ‘Isn’t it too kind of my cousin,’ Mrs Murdoch was saying. ‘Yes, he loves children. He’s passionately attached to Georgie. He wants the children to do
a little scene – he’s passionately interested in literature, of course, being one himself – a little scene from English history – any part of English history –
my cousin’s passionately fond of English history – and he’s offered a two pound box of chocolate creams as a prize to the child who acts the best. . . . Collect your little
friends, Georgie, darling.’ Georgie’s eyes were still gleaming from the mention of chocolate creams, ‘and you might go down to the summer-house to talk things over and then come
back and act your little scene to us here.’

    THE OUTLAWS EMERGED ON THE LAWN AND MADE THEIR WAY DISGUSTEDLY TOWARDS THE GROUP AROUND MRS MURDOCH

    ‘MY COUSIN’S OFFERED A BOX OF CHOCOLATE CREAMS AS A PRIZE TO THE ONE WHO ACTS BEST,’ MRS MURDOCH WAS SAYING. GEORGIE’S EYES GLEAMED.
    Georgie, the Outlaws and a few odds and ends of children who do not really come into the story, drifted down to the summer-house. The Outlaws looked at Georgie. Georgie’s eyes still
    gleamed. Then they looked at William, and with a great relief at their hearts they read in William’s sphinx-like face that at last he was justifying his position as leader.
    He had a plan.
    First of all William kindly but firmly gathered together the odds and ends and despatched them to the kitchen garden.
    ‘There’s too many of us for one scene,’ he explained, ‘so we’ll do one scene and you do another scene. An’ we’d better get right away from each other
so’s not to disturb each other . . . so you just go ’n make up your scene in the kitchen garden where nobody’ll disturb you an’ we’ll stay an’ make up ours here.
Georgie’ll show you the way to the kitchen garden.’
    And while Georgie was showing them the way to the kitchen garden William unfolded his plan to the Outlaws. The odds and ends had fully intended to discuss the scenes from English history in the
kitchen garden, but they discovered a bed of ripe strawberries, and considering a strawberry in the hand worth two scenes from English history in the bush, decided to leave the Past to its peaceful
sleep and concentrate wholly upon the Present. . . . So they don’t come into the story any more.
    Georgie returned to the Outlaws in the summer-house. Upon his face was a resolute determination to win that box of chocolate creams at all costs.
    ‘What’ll we act?’ he said eagerly.
    ‘Well,’ said William thoughtfully, ‘he was down here talkin’ to us a few minutes ago an’ he said that his favourite period in English history was King
John.’
    ‘We’ll do King John then,’ said Georgie firmly.
    ‘He said that his favourite part of King John was where he came back from losing his things in the Wash.’
    ‘We’ll do that then,’ said