Free William the Good by Richmal Crompton Page A

his voice. ‘I’ve heard ’em talkin’ English.’
    ‘ Course they talk English, silly,’ said William crushingly, ‘but that doesn’t prove they’re English. Course they taught ’em English
before they brought ’em over. Do you think they’d bring ’em over talking foreign langwidges an’ arousin’ everyone’s suspicions. Course not. Course they
c’n talk English. I bet they saw you listening an’ started talkin’ English jus’ so’s not to arouse your suspicions.’ William had come across this phrase in a
Secret Service story the night before and was proud of having an opportunity of using it, ‘but you go’n listen to them when they don’t think anyone’s listenin’
an’ I bet you’ll find ’em talkin’ foreign langwidges.’
    Obviously the majority of the Archer band was impressed by this. But one small doubting warrior piped up:
    ‘Well, when I told my father this mornin’ that I’d seen ’em, he said, “Oh, yes. It’ll be the manooverers” – or something like that –
“an’ I don’t suppose they’ll be here more than a day or two.”’
    ‘Yes,’ said William excitedly, ‘that’s jus’ it. That’s jus’ what they knew people’d say. They come here dressed like English
soldiers an’ talkin’ English so as not to arouse suspicion and they know that the English people’ll jus’ take for granted that they’re English till they start
fightin’ ’em and then it’ll be too late. English people are like that. They look out of their windows an’ see a lot of soldiers in English clothes talkin’ the English
langwidge an’ they say, “Oh, yes, it’ll be the – the – mooverers” – same as what George’s father said, an’ Ethel said, and they start
talkin’ about my hair jus’ as if they weren’t goin’ to be killed the next minute.’
    ‘What does it mean?’ piped up a small archer in the background.
    ‘What does what mean?’ said William to gain time.
    ‘That word you said – Mooverers.’
    William cleared his throat.
    ‘It’s – it’s a French word meanin’ English Soldier,’ he said. His stern eye wandered among his Archers daring any of them to deny it. No one did deny it
because everyone believed it implicitly.
    ‘Well, that’s wot I say,’ went on William relieved, ‘they knew that when English people saw they were dressed like English soldiers an’ talkin’ the English
langwidge they’d say, “Oh, they’re jus’ mooverers,” an’ not to do anythin’ to stop ’em. They’ll stay here till they’ve learnt all about
the country, then they’ll conquer the village an’ then they’ll go on an’ conquer all the rest of England. But – we’ve – gotter stop ’em.’
    The Archers waved their bows and arrows and cheered enthusiastically. This was better than practising at a target. This was better even than shooting scarecrows.
    ‘Let’s go now,’ said William and added cautiously, ‘jus’ to have a look at ’em first. We mus’ make plans careful before we start fightin’
’em.’
    The band of Archers marched joyously down the road still cheering and waving bows and arrows.
    At the gate of the large field they stopped and gazed at the scene. There were small tents and big tents, and everywhere soldiers were hurrying to and fro or standing talking in groups.
    ‘There’s some officers in that tent,’ said William, ‘an’ I bet if you went up to it you’d find ’em talkin’ foreign langwidges.’
    ‘Well, go up to it an’ see,’ challenged Ginger.
    ‘All right, I will,’ said William promptly accepting the challenge.
    Watched in a thrilled silence by his Archers he went further down the road till he was just behind the tent, then he wriggled through the hedge. William had through long experience brought
wriggling through hedges to a fine art. Then he crawled up to the tent and daringly lifted it an inch or so, placing his ear to the aperture. Inside were two young officers. The first had