GOOD OLD SECRET SEVEN by Enid Blyton

10 ANOTHER MEETING

Whenthey had reached their bicycles safely, they paused to put their bags andbottles into the baskets. Peter was beginning to feel a bit ashamed of theirhurried flight.

'Do you think we boys ought to go back and findout what those bangs were?' he said. 'I mean ... I don't think they were gun-shots, you know ... they weren't loud enough.'

'You go if you want to. I'm not rushing intodanger,' said Colin. 'Something's certainly going on there. Tell the police ifyou like, and leave them to deal with it. What with thathalf-warm, stamped-out fire of twigs, andthose howls and bangs...  it'senough to scare grown-ups, let alone us!'

'Let's have a meeting about it!' said George. 'Weought to decide what we're going to do. We know there's somebody there ... so why is he hiding? And what's he doing down in the dungeons, poppingaway like that? Is he trying to scare us off? Has he something to hide?'

'Let's have a meeting as soon as we get back,'said Janet.

'I can't. I've a music lesson at quarter pasttwelve,' said Pam. 'Please, please don't have a meeting without me.'

'Well, three o'clock this afternoon, then,' saidPeter. 'And mind you remember the password ' telescope ' and wear your badges.'

 'I can't come then,' said Jack, 'and neither canGeorge. We've got football practice. Make it tomorrow evening.'

'All right. Tomorrow evening then ... six o'clock ; andbe punctual,' said Peter. 'And if I've got time I'll take a look at that castlethrough the telescope this afternoon. There really if something going onthere!'

They rode home rather gloomily, all the boys nowwishing they had gone into the dungeons, or at least peeped down; tosee what was going on. 'Still, we hadn't any torches,' said Peter. 'We couldn'thave seen a thing. It sounded awfully like owls, didn't it ... but it couldn't have been. Owls hoot but they don't make bang-bangnoises!'

Jack rode home, hoping that Susie and Binkie wereout still and wouldn't ask him questions about his morning. He peeped into theshed and saw that the girls' bikes were still there. Good! They must still beout doing their Saturday shopping!

As soon as Peter was home, he fetched thetelescope from the shed, while a delighted Scamper danced round him. Thespaniel had not been at all pleased at' being left behind that morning, and hadlain by the fire, sulking ... butnow he was so glad to see Peter and Janet again that he could hardly keepstill!

Peter took the telescope to the boxroom and set itup. Scamper sniffed at the bottom end with much interest.

'You look up it with your eye, not your nose,' saidPeter. He set his right eye to the telescope, and trained it on the castle ... good gracious, was that someone standing in the great doorway!

 But before he could see properly, Scamper jumpedup to lick him, and over went the telescope! 'Idiot!' said Peter,crossly, and hurriedly picked it up. It seemed quite all right. He set it upagain and peered through it excitedly.

But now the doorway was empty. No one stood there.Peter felt really vexed. 'Couldn't you have waited a bit to lick me?' he saidto Scamper. 'Oh goodness ...  nowthere's Mother calling me ... andby the time I get back to the boxroom, it'll be too late to spot whoever itwas!'

His mother kept him busy for the rest of themorning, and in the afternoon he had to do his homework. He longed to go up andlook through the telescope. So did Janet.

There was nothing interesting to be seen when atlast they managed to peer through it. In disappointment they took it down tothe shed again, and locked it there as usual.

'Cheer up, Peter,' said Janet. 'We're having ameeting tomorrow night, and I've a box of toffees! It will be fun to talk aboutour morning at the castle.'

On Sunday evening everyone arrived quitepunctually, and the password was rattled out five times. 'Telescope!' As Georgesaid, it would be easier to remember that password than forget it!

They settled down in the warm shed, all seven ofthem. Peter glanced round to see if they were wearing their badges. Yes ... everyone had the S.S. on their coats. Janet handed round the toffees,and they began to talk about the previous morning.

'Someone's hiding at the castle, for some reason, that's certain,' beganPeter. 'And that someone doesn't want anyone else to know he's there ... and scared us away. I feel silly now ... I'm sure the man who's hiding there knew we were kids and would run forour lives if he made scary noises!'

'Yes. I've been thinking that too,' said Jack.

'Oh, but they sounded so awful,' said Pam, and shegave a little shudder. 'I wouldn't go there again if you gave me a thousandpounds.'

'Well, we're not offering you anything like that,'said Peter. 'So stop shuddering, and talk sense. I think now that we wererather cowardly.'

'But those bangs!' said Barbara. 'They sounded so loud and frightening.And those moans and howls!'

'Now let's be sensible,' said Peter. 'I don'tsuppose...'

And then he stopped very suddenly indeed, for fromoutside the shed came two or three mournful yowls exactly like those the Sevenhad heard yesterday morning! 'Ooo-oo-OOOO!'

Everyone jumped violently, and Scamper barked andran to the door, scratching it angrily. There was a dead silence in the shed,except for Scamper. The moaning suddenly stopped.

Then the bangs began! Pop! Pop-pop! pop!

'I'm scared,' whispered Pam, and clutched atBarbara, making her jump.

'Ooo-ooo! Pop-bang-pop!'

Then came a most familiar sound; a giggle, hastily stopped midway. Jack and Peter gave cries of fury andrushed to the door.

'Susie! binkie! you beasts!'

The door was flung open so suddenly that the twogiggling girls outside were taken by surprise. Jack leapt out and caught Susie.Binkie ran, but came back to help Susie and was caught too. They were bothdragged into the shed and set down with a bump on two boxes.

'And now will you just tell us the meaning of allthis!' said Peter, so angry that he could hardly get the words out of hismouth.