The Secret Seven were so angry that they hardly knew what to do. So it was Susie and her friends who had planned all this! While Susie had been boldly giving the password and forcing her way into their meeting the night before, her friends were pretending to scuffle in the bushes to stop Colin and make him think something really serious was going on!
"They took me in properly," groaned Colin. "I really thought it was men scuffling there, and I was so pleased to find that note-book when they had run off! It was too dark to spot that they weren't men, of course."
" No wonder Susie giggled all the time she was in our shed, and laughed when Colin rushed in to tell us of his adventure! " said Janet. " Horrid, tiresome girl!"
"She's the worst sister possible," said Jack, gloomily. " Fancy putting that list of stolen things in the note-book of course, she heard my father read them out at breakfast-time too. Blow Susie!"
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George kicked at the shed door. From the inside came the sound of shrieks of delighted laughter, and some enormous guffaws from Jim, who, like Doris, was rolling about from side to side, holding his aching sides. Oh, what a joke! Oh, to think they had brought the stuck-up Secret Seven all the way to this shed, just to see them .
"You just wait till you unlock the door and come out! " called Jack. " You just wait! I'll pull your hair till you squeal, Susie. I'm ashamed of you!"
More squeals of laughter, and a loud " Ho, ho, ho," from Jim again. It really was maddening.
"There's seven of us, and only four of you," cried Colin, warningly. "And we'll wait here till you come out, see ? You hadn't thought of that, had you ? "
"Oh yes, we had," called Susie. "But you'll let us go free, you see if you don't."
" We shan't! " said Jack, furiously. " Unlock the door."
"Listen, Jack," said Susie. "This is going to be a lovely tale to tell all the others at school, won't the Secret Seven be laughed at? Silly old Secret Seven, tricked by a stupid note-book. They think themselves so grand and so clever, but they're sure that four children in a shed are a gang of robbers shooting at one another! And we only had paper bags to pop! "
The four inside popped paper bags again and roared with laughter. The Secret Seven felt gloomier and gloomier.
" You know, Susie will make everyone yell and hoot about this," said Colin. " We shan't be able to hold our heads up for ages. Susie's right. We'll have to let them go free, and not set on them when they come out."
" No! " said Peter and Jack.
"Yes" said Colin. "We'll have to make a bargain with them, and Susie jolly well knows it. We'll have to let them go free in return for their keeping silent about this. It's no good, we've got to. I don't want all the silly kids in the first form hooting with laughter and popping paper bags at me whenever I go by. And they will. I know them!"
There was a silence. It dawned on everyone that Colin was right. Susie had got the best of them. They couldn't allow anyone to make a laughing-stock of their Secret Seven Society, they were so proud of it; it was the best Secret Society in the world.
Peter sighed. Susie was a pest. Somehow they must pay her back for this tiresome, aggravating trick, but for the moment she had won.
He banged on the door, and the squeals and shrieks from inside died down.
"Susie! You win for the present!" said Peter. " You can go free, and we won't even pull your hair, if you promise solemnly not to say a single word about this to anyone at school."
"All right," called Susie, triumphantly. "I knew you'd have to make that bargain. What a swizz for you! Silly old Secret Seven! Meeting solemnly week after week with never a thing to do! Well, we're coming out, so mind you keep your word."
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The door was unlocked from inside and the four came out, laughing and grinning. They stalked through the Secret Seven, noses in air, enjoying their triumph. Jack's fingers itched to grab at Susie's hair, but he kept them in his pockets.
"Good-bye. Thanks for a marvellous show," said the irritating Susie. " Let us know when you want another adventure, and we'll provide one for you. See you later, Jack! "
They went off down the alley-way, still laughing. It was a gloomy few minutes for the Seven, as they stood in the dark yard, hearing the footsteps going down the alley.
" We simply must find something really exciting ourselves now, as soon as possible," said Colin.
"That will stop Susie and the others jeering at us. If only we could!" said Peter. "But the more you look for an adventure the farther away it seems. Blow Susie! What a horrible evening we've had!"
But it wasn't quite the end of it. A lamp suddenly shone out nearby and a voice said:
" Now then! What are you doing here ? Clear off, you kids, or I'll report you to your parents!"
It was the policeman! Well! To think they had been turned off by the police as if they were a gang of robbers, and they had had such high hopes of fetching this very policeman to capture a gang in that shed! It was all very, very sad.
In deep silence the Seven left the yard and went gloomily up the alley-way. They could hardly say good-night to one another. Oh, for a real adventure, one that would make them important again, and fill their days with breathless excitement!
Be patient, Secret Seven. One may be just round the corner. You simply never know!
