Barney Mysteries - 04 - The Rubadub Mystery by Enid Blyton

Author:Enid Blyton
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Children's Fiction
ISBN: 9780261668423
Publisher: Diamond Books
Published: 1952-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

The Next Day

In the morning the whole inn was agog with the news of the explosion in the night. So were the papers.

‘GREAT EXPLOSION IN HUSH-HUSH BAY,’ said the headlines. ‘WAS IT SABOTAGE? ARE OUR SECRETS SAFE? INHABITANTS OF SURROUNDING TOWNS ALMOST HURLED FROM THEIR BEDS.’

‘What a lie!’ said Snubby. ‘The bed just shook, that’s all. And you didn’t even wake, Roger. I did.’

‘Did you?’ said Roger. ‘Was it really a big explosion?’

‘Terrific,’ said Snubby. ‘Tremendous. Louder than thunder. I got out of bed and went up that stairway to look out of the trapdoor - and I saw something burning like anything. And searchlights going like mad over the bay.’

‘Sh! Miss Pepper will hear you,’ said Diana. ‘She’d be furious if she thought you went wandering about at night - especially up to the roof.’

‘She didn’t hear,’ said Snubby. He glanced round. Old Professor James was nearby reading a newspaper. He was deaf so he wouldn’t have heard either. Mr Marvel and the Funny Man were also near - they would have heard, but probably they didn’t know about the staircase anyway.

‘I did something else too,’ said Snubby, lowering his voice. ‘I got out on the roof and sat beside a jolly warm chimney. Somebody else came up the staircase and looked out too. The old Professor, I think. Fancy him hearing the explosion and not you, Roger!’

‘I expect the vibration woke him, not the noise,’ said Diana. ‘I say - it’s pretty serious, isn’t it? One of our newest submarines blown up to the surface - and then burnt to nothing! I do wish you’d woken me up, Snubby!’

‘You’d have hated seeing it,’ said Snubby. ‘Is it sabotage, do you think? I mean - would it be possible for anyone to get into the bay and do a thing like that to damage us? I should have thought things were much too strict and closely guarded.

‘It was probably an accident,’ said Roger. ‘You can’t have successful experiments without accidents. Look at the things that happen in the lab at school!’

‘Oh well - we plan some of those,’ said Snubby. ‘A bit of well-planned trickery! All the same - I’d like to know if it was an accident. I don’t want to think of people somewhere around planning to blow up more submarines - especially while we’re staying here.’

‘Why? Are you afraid of being mixed up in another mystery?’ asked Roger with a grin.

‘Afraid!’ said Snubby with scorn. ‘I like mysteries. I dote on them. But this isn’t a mystery, it seems to me. I bet it’s an accident.

Whether it was or not they didn’t learn from any of the papers that morning or evening. The Press seemed to shut down on the incident, which annoyed the children very much.

That afternoon was wet. The rain poured down and the children looked gloomy.

‘It’s a glumpish afternoon,’ said Snubby. ‘What shall we do? Shall I practice my banjo?’

‘Not unless you go up on the roof or somewhere far away,’ said Roger.

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