Mystery of Banshee Towers Read Online Free PDF Page B

‘Getting on fine, quite happy’, or something like that - in case Goon tells her that he’s sent Ern off. But I don’t somehow think he will! He’ll imagine that Ern has rushed back home, with awful tales about him!”
    “I’m going to enjoy myself,” said Ern, bouncing up and down on the camp-bed. “Wish I could do something for somebody - you, Bets, for instance. I’d do anything, reely I would!”
    “I’ve no doubt your chance will come someday,” said Fatty. “Now, what about a game? Or shall we first of all decide what expeditions we are going to make this week?”
    “It sounds as if we were explorers or something.” said Pip. “How nice to be able to say ‘What about exploring the Sahara, old man?’ Or ‘I think we should row down the Nile and count the number of crocodiles there, dear fellow’!”
    The others chuckled. “Well, let’s take a vote on where we should go first,” said Fatty, taking two sheets of paper from a shelf. “Here are the lists made out by Pip’s father and Larry’s - together with a few notes of my own. I think we’ll take a vote as to which two places we would prefer to visit. We can always go and see the others afterwards, if we want to.”
    He read out the list of places. “Well, there you are. Now just choose two of those, each of you, and scribble them down, fold your papers in half and give them to me. I’ll open them and see which places the majority of us want to visit.”
    Soon they were all busy. Bets asked how to spell “Banshee” so everyone at once knew one of her choices! The notes were handed to Fatty and he opened them.
    “Well, the two places that the majority of you want to see are: the old Water-Caves at Chillerbing - and Banshee Towers on Banshee Hill. Bets, I’m surprised you put down Banshee Towers. I thought you’d be scared of any places connected with banshees wailing in the night!”
    “Fatty, I only chose Banshee Towers because you said there were magnificent sea-pictures there,” said Bets. “I won’t go if there are still banshees, though - unkind fairies wailing and foretelling horrible things! I’d hate that.”
    “Dear Bets, banshees only belong to fairy tales,” said Fatty, seeing that Bets looked rather scared. “We shan’t see or hear a single banshee - but we shall see a magnificent set of sea-pictures. I believe some of them reach from floor to ceiling. We shall feel quite seasick if we gaze at them too long.”
    “I shall take some seasick medicine with me, then,” said Bets solemnly. “I’ve some left - a few pills.”
    Everyone roared with laughter. “I’m only teasing you, Bets,” said Fatty. “I say - do look at those two dogs!”
    They all turned to look - and there were Buster and Bingo, both squeezed into Buster’s basket, fast asleep, so entangled that, as Larry said, “T’other couldn’t be told from which!” Pip glanced at Fatty and Ern. Both had such pleased, admiring looks on their faces that Pip laughed.
    “Look at Fatty and Ern,” he said. “Did you ever see such dippy looks on any faces except dog-lovers?”
    “Yes, I did - on yours on your birthday when Granny gave you two white rabbits!” said Bets at once. “You looked at them just like Auntie Sue looks when she goes to see if her twins are asleep! Quite dippy!”
    That made Pip go red, and everyone laughed. “You’re getting quite smart, young Bets,” said Fatty. “Well, to come back to Banshee Towers. I see that four out of five have voted for that, so we’ll go there. And three out of five have voted for the Water-Caves. So those are our first two expeditions.”
    “ I voted for Banshee Towers, too,” said Ern, to Bets. “I’m mad on sea-pictures. You see, I want to go into the Navy when I’m old enough, so I had to vote for the sea-picture place. And don’t you worry about banshees. Bets. The moment I see one, I’ll whistle like this, see, and I’ll make them so scared they’ll fly out of the window and never