Mystery Of The Burnt Cottage by Enid Blyton

Author:Enid Blyton [Blyton, Enid]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-07-15T22:07:55+00:00

Ill

Hick, with interest. “I saw them. There were seven. Are there seven today?”

Larry counted them. All the children looked out of the window - except Fatty. He didn’t look out of the window. He looked at Mr. Hick with a most bewildered expression on his face. He opened his mouth as if to speak, and then firmly closed it again. But he still went on’Staring at Mr. Hick, very deep in thought.

The Tempests came over again, roaring low. “Let’s go out and see them,” said Larry. “We can see them better out-of-doors. Goodbye, Mr. Hick.”

“Goodbye. And don’t poke and pry again into matters that don’t concern children,” said Mr. Hick stiffly. “It was probably Horace Peeks that fired my workroom. The police will soon make out a case against him. He wore rubber-soled shoes this morning when he came to see me, and there is no doubt that he made those prints up and down the drive.”

“Oh,” said the children, feeling very sorry for poor Lily. She would be terribly upset they knew. Only Fatty said nothing, but looked hard at Mr. Hick again, a curious expression on his face. They all went out - but the Tempests were now gone again, leaving a faint throbbing behind them.

“Well, that’s done,” said Larry, with relief. “How I hated apologizing to that mean fellow! I suppose Peeks did do it, after all - fire the cottage, I mean.”

Fatty was very silent as they all walked down the lane towards the river. They meant to go for a short walk before supper-time. Bets looked at Fatty.

“What’s the matter?” she asked. “Are your braises hurting you?”

“No. I’d forgotten all about them,” said Fatty. “I was thinking of something very, very, very queer!”

“What was it?” asked the others, interested. Fatty stopped and pointed up into the sky. “You know those planes we saw?” he said. The others nodded.

“Well,” said Fatty, “they were Tempests, and they have only been over here twice - once today - and once on the

evening of the day that the cottage was fired!”

“Well - what about it?” said Larry impatiently. “Nothing queer about that, surely!”

“Listen,” said Fatty, “when we spoke about those Tempests, what did Mr. Hick say? He said that he saw them when they were over here two or three days ago - and he counted them and there were seven. Which was quite correct.”

“What are you getting at?” asked Pip, frowning.

“I’m getting at something queer,” said Fatty. “Where was Mr. Hick on the evening that the fire was started?”

“On the London train!” said Larry.

“Then how could he have seen and counted the Tempests that flew over here!” said Fatty.

There was a startled silence. Every one thought hard. Larry spoke first. “It is queer!” he said. “Those planes have only been here twice - every one spoke about them. And if Hiccup saw them that evening - then he must have been here!”

“And yet his chauffeur met the London train and he walked off it!” said Daisy. “He couldn’t

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