Mystery of the Vanished Prince Read Online Free PDF

heel!”
    Buster ran to Fatty reluctantly, and Mr. Goon had time to take in the whole group. He gaped. What a lot of foreigners - and Ern with them. Ern! He didn’t even know Ern was in the district. He advanced on Ern, who almost dropped the huge umbrella he was still holding.
    “Ern! What you doing here?” thundered Mr. Goon. “And bless me, if it isn’t Sid and Perce too! What’s all this about? And what’s the umbrella for?”
    “Uncle! Don’t shout like that,” begged Ern. “This is a princess here, and that’s why I’m holding an umbrella over her. It’s a State Umbrella. Don’t you know one when you see one?”
    Mr. Goon didn’t even know a golf umbrella when he saw one, much less a State one. He stared at Ern disbelievingly. Era went on in an urgent voice.
    “Uncle, you’ve heard of Prince Bongawah, who’s staying in one of the camps, up on the hills over there, haven’t you? Well, this is his sister, Princess Bongawee - and that’s her cousin - and…”
    Goon was amazed. He looked at Bets, wrapped closely and gracefully in her robes, the hood partly drawn across her sunburnt face. Her face seemed faintly familiar to him, but he didn’t for one moment think of Bets Hilton. She stood there rather haughtily, a little scared, without saying a single word.
    Goon cleared his throat. He looked at Fatty, who said nothing. “They were visiting Fatty,” explained Ern. “And of course, I told them about Prince Bongawah, who’s camping in the field next to us, Uncle - and I’d have known this princess was his sister - they’re as like as two peas.”
    “But how did you come to be mixed up with them?” asked Goon, suspiciously.
    “Your nephew, Ern, came to pay a call on us, that’s all, Mr. Goon,” said Fatty, delighted that Ern should be telling Mr. Goon such a marvellous tale. “And the Princess Bongawee liked Ern, and requested him to hold her - er - her State Umbrella over her. And Ern’s good manners are well known - so here he is.”
    Mr. Goon had never had any opinion of Ern’s manners at all. He considered that Ern had none. He stared first at Ern, then at the haughty little Princess, and then at Fatty. Fatty stared back unwinkingly.
    “She a real Princess?” asked Mr. Goon, in a confidential aside to Fatty. Before Fatty could answer, Bets spoke in a high little insolent voice that amused Fatty immensely.
    “Ikky-oola-potty-wickle-tok,” she said.
    “What’s she say?” asked Goon with interest.
    “She wants to know if you’re a real policeman,” said Fatty, promptly. “What shall I tell her?”
    Mr. Goon glared at him. Bets interrupted again. “Ribbly-rookatee, paddly-pool,” she said.
    “What does that mean?” asked Mr. Goon. Fatty put on an embarrassed look.
    “I don’t like to tell you, Mr. Goon,” he said.
    “Why? What’s it matter?” said the policeman, curious.
    “Well - it’s rather a personal remark,” said Fatty. “No - I don’t really think I can tell you, Mr. Goon.”
    “Go on - you tell me,” said Goon, getting angry.
    “Yes - you tell him,” said Ern, delighted at the idea of the Princess saying something rude about his uncle.
    “Ar,” put in Sid, unexpectedly. Goon turned on him at once.
    “What you interfering for? And what do you mean by standing there with your mouth full in front of royalty? Go and empty your mouth!”
    “Ar,” said Sid, in panic.
    “It’s toffee, Uncle,” said Ern. “Stick-me-tight toffee. It can’t be spit out.”
    Bets went off into a peal of laughter. Then she hurriedly spoke a few more words. “Wonge-bonga-smelly-fiddly-tok.”
    “There she goes again,” said poor Goon. “You tell me what she said then, Master Frederick.”
    “I can’t possibly,” persisted Fatty, making Goon feel so curious that he could hardly contain himself. His face began to go purple, and his eyes bulged a little. He stared at the little Princess, who giggled again.
    “I only say - why he got FROG face!” said Bets, in a very foreign voice. Everyone immediately exploded, with the exception of poor Sid who couldn’t get