The Secret Seven Read Online Free PDF Page A

and the two of them hurried across to the estate office. «We might have thought of this ourselves», said Pam. «But I say – what shall we say if the man here asks why we want to know? You only go to a house agent's if you want to buy or sell a house, don't you?»
    They peeped in at the door. A boy of about sixteen sat at a table there, addressing some envelopes. He didn't look very frightening. Perhaps he would know – and wouldn't ask them why they wanted the name of the owner.
    They went boldly in. The boy looked up.
    «What do you want?» he said.
    «We've been told to ask who owns the old house down by the stream», said George, hoping the boy might think that some grown-up had sent him to find out. Actually it was only Peter, of course, but he didn't see why he should say so.
    «I don't think the house is on the market», said the boy, turning over the pages of a big book. «Do your parents want to buy it, or something? I didn't know it was to be sold.»
    The two children said nothing, because they didn't really know what to say. The boy went on turning over the pages.
    «Ah – here we are», he said. «No – it's not for sale – it was sold to a Mr. J. Holikoff some time ago. Don't know why he doesn't live in it, I'm sure!»
    «Does Mr. Holikoff live anywhere here?» asked Pam.
    «No – his address is 64, Heycom Street, Covelty», said the boy, reading it out. «Course, I don't know if he lives there now. Do your people want to get in touch with him? I can find out if this is his address now, if you like – he's on the telephone at this address.»
    «Oh, no, thank you», said George hastily. «We don't want to know anything more, as the house is – er – not for sale. Thank you very much. Good morning.»
    They went out, rather red in the face, but very pleased with themselves. «Mr. Holikoff», said Pam to George. «It's a peculiar name, isn't it? Do you remember his address, George?»
    «Yes», said George. He took out his notebook and wrote in it: “Mr. J. Holikoff, 64, Heycom Street, Covelty”. «Well, we've done our part of the job! I wonder how the others are getting on.»
    They were getting on quite well. Janet and Barbara were busy examining the tracks down the lane that led to the stream. They felt quite like detectives.
    «See – the car with the van behind, or whatever it was, turned into the lane from the direction of Templeton; it didn't come from our village», said Janet. «You can see quite clearly where the wheels almost went into the ditch.»
    «Yes», said Barbara, staring at them. «The tracks of the van wheels are narrower than the wheels of the car that towed it, Janet. And look – just here in the snow you can see exactly what the pattern was on the wheels of the van. Not of the car, though – they're all blurred.»
    «Don't you think it would be a good idea to take a note of the pattern of the tyre?» said Janet. «I mean – it just might come in useful. And we could measure the width of the tyre print too.»
    «I don't see how those things can possibly matter», said Barbara, who wanted to go down the lane and join the three boys.
    «Well, I'm going to try and copy the pattern», said Janet firmly. «I'd like to have some thing to show the “boys”!»
    So, very carefully, she drew the pattern in her notebook. It was a funny pattern, with lines and circles and V-shaped marks. It didn't really look very good when she had done it. She had measured the print as best she could. She had no tape-measure with her, so she had placed a sheet from her notebook over the track, and had marked on it the exact size. She felt rather pleased with herself, but she did wish she had drawn the pattern better.
    Barbara laughed when she saw it. «Gracious! What a mess!» she said.
    Janet looked cross and shut her notebook up. «Let's follow the tracks down the lane now», she said. «We'll see exactly where they go. Not many vans come down here – we ought to be able to follow the tracks