SECRET SEVEN MYSTERY by Enid Blyton

CHAPTER 6 UP AT THE STABLES

Pam and Barbara glared at Susie. It was just like her to interfere. Pam rubbed her shoulder.

'You've given me a big bruise,' she said. 'And we shan't tell you a thing!'

'It's something to do with the Secret Seven, isn't it?' said Susie. 'Go on, tell me -1 know it is. You've got some kind of secret on again, haven't you? Jack has gone off without saying a word to me. Tell me, and I'll help you.'

'Certainly not!' said Pam, indignantly. 'WE keep our secrets to ourselves!'

' Well - I'll get it out of Jack,' said the irritating Susie, and walked off, tipping her hat over her face once more. 'Good-bye - and don't lie in wait for me again!'

'Now she knows we're in the middle of another excitement,' said Barbara, brushing herself down. ' She's so sharp that I'm sure she'll find out what it is. I do hope we don't keep meeting her looking for Elizabeth too!'

'Time's getting on,' said Pam, looking at her watch. 'We'll just hunt in a few more places, and then we'll have to go home!'

They did quite a lot more hunting, and found an exciting hollow tree which, they decided, would have made a fine hiding-place for the runaway girl if she had happened to see it.

'We'll remember it for ourselves, in case we ever need a place like this,' said Barbara. 'Now let's go home. We've nothing to report - except about Susie - but at least we've done our best. I wonder how Colin got on? He was going round the farms and looking into the barns.'

'And George and Janet were going to visit the riding stables in the district,' said Pam. 'That would be quite a nice job. I love stables.'

George and Janet thought it was quite a nice job too. They had looked up the riding stables in the district, and found that there were three.

'Belling Riding Stables,' said Janet. 'And Warner's Riding Stables - and Tiptree's. We'll go to all three, shall we?'

So off they went on their bicycles, feeling, as usual, very important to be on Secret Seven work again. They came to Tiptree's Stables first. Janet knew the man who ran it, for he was a friend of her father's.

He was rubbing down a horse and smiled at Janet and George. 'Well - come to have a look at my horses?' he said. 'I've a foal in there, look - Silver Star, she's called, and a bonny thing she is.'

They admired the lovely little foal. 'I do wish I worked at a stables,' said Janet, artfully. 'Do you ever let schoolgirls work here - perhaps in the school holidays, Mr Tiptree?'

The riding master laughed. 'No! I get plenty of help from my wife and two daughters - they're all mad about horses. They do all the work there is to do - I don't need anyone from outside. This is quite a family stables! Why - did you think you'd come and help? Your father has surely got plenty of horses for you to play about with?'

'Well, yes, he has,' said Janet, stroking the little foal. I only just wondered if you ever gave jobs to girls - lots of girls I know love horses and wish they could work in a stables.'

'Come on, Janet,' said George, seeing that they could get no useful information from Mr Tiptree. Obviously the runaway girl would not be able to get a job here, even if she wanted one.

'Thank you for showing us the foal, Mr Tiptree,' said Janet. Til tell my father about her - he'll be interested.'

They rode off again, and George looked at his list of stables. 'We'll go to Warner's Stables next,' he said. 'That's not far from the old granny's house. It might be a good place for Elizabeth Sonning to hide in-or get a job at.'

'I hardly think she'd go anywhere so close, would she?' said Janet. 'She might be recognized. It's more likely she'd go farther off - to Belling's Stables, the other side of the village. Still - we'll go to Warner's first.'

They rode up to the stables on the top of the next hill. Below them were spread fields of all kinds and shapes looking like a big patchwork quilt.

Warner's Stables were quite big, and looked busy as they came up to them. Some horses were going out with riders, and others were coming in. Nobody took much notice of the two children.

'Let's have a snoop round,' said Janet. 'And if we see any stable-girls, we'll have a good look at them.'

'Wouldn't Elizabeth have to wear riding things if she wanted a job at a stable?' said George. 'We know that she was wearing her school clothes when she left - she took no others.'

'Well - she might have borrowed some at the stables,' said Janet. 'Though that's rather unlikely, I think. Look - there's a stable-girl - see - cleaning out that stable.'

They stood and stared at the girl. Her back was towards them, and she was doing her job well. She turned round to fetch something, and at once they saw that it was not Elizabeth.

'Far too big!' said Janet, disappointed. 'Look -there are two stable-boys over there. Let's go and talk to them - we may learn something, you never know.'