Mystery of the Hidden House Read Online Free PDF Page B

tiger-shooting? What about that thing up on the wall? Did you shoot that too?”
    “That’s a crocodile skin,” said Bets, enjoying herself. “Let me see, Fatty - was that the third or fourth crocodile you shot?”
    Ern’s repect for Fatty went up a hundredfold. He gazed at him with the greatest awe. He looked at the fierce head of the tiger-rug, and felt a bit scared of it, even though it was no longer alive. He moved a little way from the snarling teeth.
    “You said in your note there were developments,” said Ern, eagerly. “Are you going to tell us anything today?”
    “Yes. The time has come for us to ask you to do something,” said Fatty, in a solemn voice that sent a thrill down Ern’s spine. “I am uncovering a very mysterious mystery.”
    “Coo,” said Ern, in a hushed voice. “Do the others know?”
    “Not yet,” said Fatty. “Now listen all of you. There are strange lights flashing at night over on Christmas Hill!”
    “Oooh,” said Ern. “Have you seen them?”
    “There are rival gangs there,” said Fatty, in a grave voice. “One is a kidnapping gang. One is a gang of robbers. Soon they will get busy.”
    Ern’s mouth fell open. The others, although they knew it was all Fatty’s make-up, couldn’t help feeling a bit thrilled too. Ern swallowed once or twice. Talk about a mystery! This was a whacker!
    “Now the thing is - can we get going, and find out who they are and their plans, before they start their robbing and kidnapping?” said Fatty.
    “We can’t,” said Bets, in a dismal voice. “We’ve been forbidden to get mixed up in any mystery these hols.”
    “So have we,” said Larry and Daisy together.
    “Yes, it’s bad luck,” said Fatty. “I’m the only one who can do anything - but I can’t do it alone. That’s why I’ve got you here this morning, Ern. You must help me.”
    Ern took in all this rather slowly, but with the utmost excitement and delight. He swelled out his chest proudly.
    “You can count on me,” he said, and made his voice deep and solemn. “Ern’s with you! Coo! I feel all funny-like. I bet I’d write a good pome with this sort of feeling inside me!”
    “Yes. It could begin like this,” said Fatty, who could reel off silly verse by the mile.
    “There’s a mystery a-moving
    Away on Christmas Hill,

Where kidnappers and robbers
    Are waiting for the kill.

But when kidnappers are napping
    And robbers are asleep,
    We’ll pounce on them together
    And knock them in a heap!”
    Everyone laughed. No one could reel off verse like Fatty. Ern gaped and couldn’t find a word to say. Why, that was wonderful portry! To think Fatty could say it all off like that!
    He found his voice at last. “Lovaduck! Did you make all that up out of your head just this minute? It takes me hours to think of a pome - and even when I do, it won’t rhyme for ages. You must be one of them queer things - a genius.”
    “Well - you never know,” said Fatty, trying to look modest. “I remember having to write a poem - er, I mean pome - for class one day, and forgetting all about it till the master pounced on me and asked for mine. I looked in my desk, but of course it wasn’t there because I had forgotten to write one. So I just said ‘Sorry, sir, it seems to be mislaid - but I’ll recite it if you like.’ And I stood up and recited six verses straight off out of my head. What’s more, I got top marks for it.”
    “I don’t believe you,” said Pip.
    “Well, I’ll recite it for you now if you like,” said Fatty, indignantly, but the others wouldn’t let him.
    “Stop boasting,” said Larry. “Let’s get down to work. How did we get on to this poem-business anyway? You’ll have Ern wanting to recite next!”
    Ern would have been only too willing to oblige, but most unfortunately in his hurried departure from his uncle’s house he had left his portry notebook behind. However, he produced another notebook - a very grand one, with black covers, and elastic band, and a pencil down the back.
    “Mr. Goon’s got one like that,” said Bets. “Did he give