Mystery of the Vanished Prince Read Online Free PDF Page A

passed. Ern felt terribly important.
    It was very disappointing not to meet more people on the way down to the river. They met old Mrs. Winstanton, who was so short-sighted that all she saw was the big umbrella, which made her think it must be raining. She hurried home before she got caught in a shower!
    They met the grocer’s boy, who stared in amazed and mystified silence. Bets giggled. Ern gave the boy a dignified bow which mystified him still further. What was all this going on? He followed them a little way, and then went to deliver his goods and a tale of “dressed-up furriners under a HUGE umbrella” to a fascinated housekeeper.
    They met nobody else at all. They came to the river-path and walked solemnly along it.
    “There’s the ice-cream man!” said Ern, thankfully. “Pore Sid - he won’t be able to have one, what with his toffee and all!”
     
    Mr. Goon gets a Surprise
     
    The ice-cream man was lying on the river bank, fast asleep, his tricycle-van pulled back into the shade. Fatty woke him.
    He sat up, amazed at the brilliant group around him, topped by the huge umbrella held by Ern, who was now getting a little tired of its weight.
    “What’s all this?” said the ice-cream man. “Charades or something?”
    Ern opened his mouth to introduce the Princess Bongawee, but Fatty frowned at him. He didn’t want the joke to go too far - and he had an uneasy feeling that the ice-cream man wouldn’t be taken in quite as easily as some people. It wouldn’t do to spoil the joke for Ern. Ern, Sid, and Perce werc in the seventh heaven of delight to think they had gone walking with a princess and her followers.
    “Nine ice-creams, please,” said Fatty. Ern corrected him.
    “Eight, you mean,” he said.
    “You’ve forgotten Buster,” said Fatty.
    “Coo, yes,” said Ern, suddenly remembering that Buster too loved ice-cream. Buster had been as good as gold, following the procession solemnly, and hadn’t even been to say how-do-you-do to any dogs he met.
    The ice-cream man handed out the ice-creams, making a few more remarks as he did so.
    “Pouring with rain, isn’t it?” he said to Ern, who was still valiantly holding the umbrella over Bets. “Just as well not to get wet.”
    “Funny, aren’t you?” said Ern.
    “Not so funny as you look,” said the ice-cream man. “Where’d you get that umbrella? Out of a cracker?”
    “Ha - that’s where you came from, I s’pose,” said Ern, at once. “BANG - and out of a cracker you fell!”
    “That’s enough, Ern,” said Fatty, hastily, seeing a storm about to blow up between the ice-cream man and Ern. “Come on - let’s take our ice-creams a bit farther down the path, where it’s cooler.”
    The ice-cream man remarked that he knew where he could get Ern a clown’s hat to go with his umbrella, but Ern was not allowed to reply. Fatty hustled him away, and his umbrella caught in the low-swinging branches of a tree. Bets had to stand still while poor Ern struggled to release it, his ears burning at a few more remarks from the witty ice-cream man.
    They went on at last again, holding the freezing ice-cream cartons in their hands. Sid had one too, and every one was curious to see how he could manage to eat an ice-cream with his mouth still full of toffee. His toffee slab seemed unending. So far as any one knew he still had the same piece in his mouth.
    And then someone came cycling round the corner of the path - someone burly and red-faced, with a dark-blue uniform and helmet.
    “It’s Uncle!” gasped Ern, in a panic.
    “Goon!” said Fatty. “Old Clear-Orf! Well, well - this is going to be funny!”
    Buster recognized Goon with delight. He tore up to his bicycle and jumped at his feet. Goon got off at once and kicked out at the excited little Scottie.
    “Clear-Orf!” he said, angrily. “Here, you, call this dog orf, or I’ll kick him into the river. Proper little pest, he is.”
    “Hallo, Mr. Goon,” said Fatty, politely. “I haven’t seen you for a very long time. Come here, Buster. Heel, sir,