GOOD OLD SECRET SEVEN by Enid Blyton

05 THROUGH THE TELESCOPE

Thetelescope was a great success. The Secret Seven found it a most fascinatingpastime to peer through it at all kinds of things, and there was much comingand going at the meeting-shed.

'I'm writing an essay on gulls in wintertime,'said George, arriving one dinner hour, complete with sandwiches to cat. 'Ithought I'd set up the telescope and watch the gulls on your father's fields,Peter ... there are always so many there, at this time ofyear.'

So there sat George, solemnly chewing hamsandwiches, and peering through the telescope at the excited gulls foraging in'a newly ploughed field. No wonder he had ten out of ten for his essay! Colin wanted to see the big jet-liners that flewsteadily on their way overhead. 'I could almost see what the people in it werehaving for dinner,' he told an astonished Janet.

But she wasn't interested inplanes; she loved to swing the telescope round on itsstand, and watch the people walking or riding on the distant road. 'It's almost as if they were in the garden,' shesaid. 'Peter, I saw old Mrs King riding on her tricycle, and I counted theonions in her net-bag;twelve she had. And I saw that horrid little Harry Jones ride by thegreengrocer's cart and quickly take an orange off it as he went.'

'You'll turn into a peeping Tom if you don't lookout,' said Peter. 'I bet young Harry would be horrified if he knew you werewatching him across dozens of fields!'

 The telescope was used at night too, and the Sevenmarvelled at the way in which it brought the moon so close to them. They had totake the telescope indoors for that, because Peter's mother said it was toocold to stay outside with it.

 Susie came to use it too, of course, with herfriend Binkie, who was just as giggly as ever. They found the key and went intothe shed. They took the telescope into the garden and rested it on the wall.Peter saw them there, and went out to them.

 'Oooh, run, Susie, here's Peter!' giggled Binkie, pretending to be scared. 'Oh, don't eatus, will you, Peter! Oooh, I'm frightened of you.'

 'I only came to see that you knew how to use thetelescope,' said Peter, coldly. 'I thought Susie might want help,'

Susie was busy looking through the telescope. Shehad it trained on a house some way off , then she swung it to another house. There's Mr Roneo painting hisgreenhouse,' she said. 'The ladder's awfully wobbly. And now I can see MissFellows cleaning her window from inside. Now I'm looking at the roof of thatbig old house - I can see it sticking up above the trees. There'sa skylight set in the roof,   it'sbeing opened ! someone's climbing out! Oh! oh! oh!'

Her sudden loud screaming made Peter jump infright. 'What's the matter? What's happening?' he demanded. 'Let me see.' ButSusie fended Peter off and kept her eye glued to the telescope. 'Someone elsehas climbed out on the roof now!' she cried. 'And he's chasing the first man.Oh, he's fallen off the roof! Peter, what shall we do? We'd better tell yourmother, and get help.'

 'Mother's out,' said Peter, worried. 'I'll rushoff myself and see what I can do. There's a doctor who lives opposite that oldhouse. I could get him if he's there. My word, what a bit of luck you happenedto look through the telescope just then!'

He tore off down the garden, but when he came to the gate, he heard a noise that made him pause. Itwas the sound of delighted giggling!

He stopped at once; and then strode back angrily. 'What are you laughing at, Binkie? Susie,did you really see a man fall off the roof - or not?'

 'Well' hemight not have fallen off,' said Susie. 'I'll look again.' She put her eye tothe telescope and peered through it once more. 'I can still see him! He's gothis foot caught in the roof gutter now - oh, poor man, he's hanging upside-down by one foot. Now here comes theother man, he

'Idiot!' said Peter, angrily. 'All made up, ofcourse! I might easily have gone off to that house and taken the doctor too,and hunted for an imaginary man down in the garden. I suppose you think that'sfunny?'

 'Oh we do, we do!' said Susie, with tears oflaughter in her eyes. 'It's awfully funny, Peter , you should just have seen your face of horror. This is a most wonderfultelescope. I wonder what I'll see next. You have a turn, Binkie, and see if youcan spot anything interesting too.'

'You can both clear off,' said Peter, and tookfirm hold of the telescope. 'If this is the kind of thing you're going to use atelescope for, I shall lock it up. go home, both of you!' And dear me, he looked so fierce, and Scamperbegan to bark so loudly that Susie and Binkie actually obeyed him, and fled fortheir lives!