GO AHEAD SECRET SEVEN by Enid Blyton

CHAPTER 7 GEORGE RESIGNS AND A NEW MEMBER IS ELECTED

On Monday evening, immediately after school, a meeting of the Secret Seven was called. All the Seven knew why. It was about George.

George had gone to see Peter on Sunday morning, and had told him what had happened. Peter was shocked.

"We must call a meeting as soon as possible," he said, "to see what we can do about it. Poor George! This is awful!"

So a very solemn, serious meeting was held down in the little shed that had the S.S. sign on its door. George gave the password in rather a trembling voice as he went in, and wore his badge for the last time.

"Beware!" he said, and at the password the door was opened. Everyone was there, Scamper as well.

"Hallo, George," said Janet, feeling very miserable to see George's woe begone face. "Bad luck!"

"I expect Peter's told you what happened," said George, sitting down on a box. "It was just, well, what Janet said just now, bad luck!"

George took off his badge and handed it to Peter, who pinned it carefully to his jersey, beside his own badge.

"I now resign from the Secret Seven," said George, in rather a shaky voice. "Thank you for letting me belong. I'm very, very sorry to go, but my father says I must."

"It's horrid of him!" said Pam fiercely, very sorry for George.

But George was not going to have anything said against his father, much as he resented being forced to leave the Secret Seven.

"He's not horrid," he said, loyally. "It was that young man's fault. He caused all the trouble, making such a fuss about me. He knew I wasn't doing any harm. He's the mean, horrid one, not my father."

"Who was he? Do you know?" asked Jack.

"No idea," said George. "I'd never seen him before. When Dad asked him for his address, he said that he lived at that little hotel called ' Starling's '. He didn't give his name."

"I've a good mind to go and find out who he is and tell him what I think of him!" said Jack, scowling.

"Yes. That's a good idea," said Peter. "I and Colin and you will all go, Jack. It's the least we can do for old George. We'll tell that young man what we think of him!"

"He'll just haul you home too, and get you into trouble!" said George, feeling rather comforted by all the interest on his behalf. "I must say I couldn't understand why he was so jolly interfering. Even when I told him who I was and where I lived, he was just as mean."

"Starling's Hotel," said Peter, and wrote it down firmly in his notebook. "We'll go and ask for him and tell him he's done a jolly mean thing."

"I'll come, too," said Pam, bravely; but Peter said no, the three boys could manage by themselves.

"What are you going to do about the Secret Seven now?" asked George after a pause. "I mean, you're only six, now I'm out of it. Will you be the Secret Six?"

"No," said Peter. "We began as the Secret Seven, and we'll have to go on as the Secret Seven. You can't suddenly change a society as important as ours."

"I see," said George. "Well, you'll have to get a seventh, then. I shall hate that. Who will you have? Lennie, or Richard?"

"No," said Peter, firmly, and everyone looked at him to see who was in his mind.

"Hadn't we better all put up somebody's name, and then we'll vote?" asked Colin. That's if we've got to have someone else. I shan't much like anyone in George's place."

"You will all like the one that I'm thinking of, I promise you," said Peter, and his eyes twinkled at them. "Nobody will say no, I promise you!"

"Who is it?" said poor George, wondering who this wonderful person was that everyone would welcome.

"Yes, who is it?" said Janet, puzzled.

"He's with us tonight" said Peter. "But he will only be a temporary member, not a member for good, just a temporary member till we get George back again. Because I'm determined to go and find that young man and make him go and ask George's parents to let him belong to the Secret Seven again. I bet he didn't know how important it is to George to belong."

"But who's the temporary member?" said George, puzzled. He looked all round. "There's nobody here but us."

"It's Scamper!" said Peter, and Scamper leapt up at his name, and wagged his tail vigorously. "Scamper, will you please be a proper member of the Secret Seven till we get George back?"

"Woof, woof, woof!" said Scamper, joyously, as if he understood completely. Everyone began to laugh, even George.

"Oh, Peter!" he said, "Scamper's the only person I don't mind taking my place! He's always really belonged to the Secret Seven, hasn't he? Oh, I do hope I come back. Still, I don't feel so bad now that Scamper's the seventh member. I just felt I couldn't bear to know that Lennie or Richard belonged instead of me."

Everybody felt more cheerful. Scamper ran round and licked all the knees and hands he could see.

"Just as if he's saying "Thank you, thank you for this great honour," said Jack. "Good old Scamper! Peter, pin the badge to his collar. Scamper, please remember the password. Let me say it in your ear. Beware!"

The meeting broke up. George said goodbye rathersolemnly. Scamper took the members proudly to the gate, and then turned back.Wait till he showed the other dogs his magnificent badge!