Mystery Of The Burnt Cottage Read Online Free PDF Page A

right. Then what were Larry and Pip talking about?
    “Of course, they say that hands are the most difficult things to draw,” said Larry, looking at the drawing carefully again, his head on one side. “Now, I think Fatty ought to learn a bit more about hands.”
    Daisy tried to hide a giggle. Bets was most amazed, and looked at the drawing, trying to discover the tail, ears and hands that Larry and Pip were so unaccountably chatting about. Fatty went purple with rage.
    “I suppose you think you’re being funny again,” he said, snatching the drawing out of Larry’s hand. “You know quite well this is a copy of the footprints.”
    “Golly! So that’s what it is!” said Pip, in an amazed voice. “Of course! Larry, how could we have thought they were anything else?”
    Daisy went off into a squeal of laughter. Fatty folded up the paper and looked thoroughly offended. Buster jumped up on to his knees and licked his master’s nose.
    Bets put everything right in her simple manner. “Well!” she said, astonished, “it was all a joke, wasn’t it, Larry? I looked at that drawing and I could quite well see it was a really marvellous copy of those footprints we saw. I couldn’t imagine what you and Pip were talking about. Fatty, I wish I could draw as well as you can!”
    Fatty had got up to go, but now he sat down again. The others grinned. It was a shame to tease poor old Fatty, but
    really he did have such a very good opinion of hihiself!
    “I’ve just shortly written down a few notes about yesterday,” said Larry, drawing a small notebook out of his pocket. He opened it and read quickly the list of clues they already had. He held out his hand for Fatty’s drawing.
    “I think it had better go with the notes.,” he said. “I’ll keep both the notes and the drawings and the scrap of grey cloth somewhere carefully together, because they may soon become important. Where shall we keep them?”
    “There’s a loose board just behind you in the wall of the summer-house,” said Pip eagerly. “I used to hide things there when I was little like Bets. It would be a fine place to put anything now - no one would ever think of looking there.”
    He showed the others the loose board. Buster was most interested in it, stood up on the bench and scraped hard at it
    “He thinks there’s a rabbit behind it,” said Bets.
    The notebook, the match-box with the grey rag, and Fatty’s drawing were carefully put behind the loose board, which was then dragged into place again. All the children felt pleased to have a hidey-hole like that.
    “Now what are our plans for today?” said Pip. “We must get on with the solving of the mystery, you know. We don’t want the police to find out everything before we do!”
    “Well, one or more of us must interview Mrs. Minns, the cook,” said Larry. He saw that Bets did not understand what “interviewing” was, “That means we must go and see what the cook has to say about the matter,” he explained. Bets nodded.
    “I could do that,” she said.
    “You!” said Pip scornfully. “You’d tell her right out all that we had done and found and everything! You can’t even keep the very smallest secret!”
    “I don’t tell secrets now,” said Bets. “You know I don’t. I haven’t told a single secret since I was six years old.”
    “Shut up, you two,” said Larry. “I think Daisy and Pip might go and see Mrs. Minns. Daisy is good at that
    sort of thing, and Pip can keep a look out to see that Clear-Orf or Mr. Hick don’t come along and guess what Daisy is doing.”
    “What shall I do, Larry?” asked Fatty, quite humbly, for once in a way.
    “You and I could go and talk to the chauffeur,” said Larry. “He might let out something that would be useful to us. He usually washes down the car in the morning.”
    “What about me?” said Bets, in dismay. “Aren’t I to do anything? I’m a Find-Outer too.”
    “There’s nothing you can do,” said Larry.
    Bets looked very