GOOD OLD SECRET SEVEN by Enid Blyton

12 SUSIE HAS PLENTY TO SAY!

Petergroaned. He knew when he was beaten! 'All right ... you win!' he said. 'Come back and sit down. Colin, go and get threemore jam-tarts ... old Scamper can have one then.'

Colin departed, with Scamper at his heels. The restof the Seven sat and looked at Susie in disgust. What a girl! She smiledcheekily all round. This certainly was Her Evening! Aha! She was teaching thosestuck-up Seven a lesson!

Colin came back at once with the tarts, and theyall began to eat them, Scamper too.

'Well, about this artist woman,' said Susie, withher mouth full. 'She said we'd better not go into the castle because it wasdangerous, so we thanked her for her warning ... but, of course, we meant to go without her seeing us!'

'You would!' said Jack.

'We stopped and talked a bit, just to see if shehad anything interesting to say,' said Susie. 'But she hadn't, really. She justsaid she loved the old castle, and was painting it, hoping to sell the picture.She said she kept her paints and things inside, because nobody ever came in thewinter, so they were quite safe.'

'This looks as if all our suspicions were silly,'said Peter, feeling rather small.

'She was awfully interested in us, too,' went onSusie. 'Wasn't she, Binkie?'

'Oh yes ... sheasked us a lot of questions ... andshe laughed like anything when Susie said Jack and the others were coming up tohunt a man hiding in the castle.'

'You told her that!' cried Peter, angrily. 'Howdare you? You'd no right to give our plans away.'

'Well, they were silly plans, so it didn't reallymatter,' said Susie. 'She asked me how in the world you could see anyone in thecastle from this farm ... wetold her you lived here, Peter ... andshe was very interested to hear about the telescope we keep down in this shed,and how easily we could see the castle with it.'

'Susie! You surely didn't give that away too ... how could you? Now she'll know we're watching what's happening,'groaned Peter. 'Honestly, you must be a nitwit to jabber like that to astranger.'

'And you must be a nitwit to think anythingpeculiar is going on up at the castle,' said Susie. 'Just a woman artistpainting a picture! No one's hiding there. She said that she goes down to sleepin the village on the other side of the castle each night ... and except for us, not a soul has been to the castle since she came. Haha ... what about your mystery now?'

The Secret Seven felt very small indeed ... and very angry. It had all been so exciting ... and now Susie had interfered, and there was nothing left!

'Did you see anything at all in the dungeons?'asked Peter, after a pause.

'Only things that I suppose belonged to theartist,' said Susie. 'Let's see ... whatwas there, Binkie?'

'Pictures,' said Binkie. 'Pictures without frames.Rather dark and ugly, I thought. I suppose the artist had painted them. Theywere all covered up, of course. We just peeped at them. There was a pile ofrugs too, and some tins.'

'The artist said she'd take another day or two tofinish the picture, and when it rained she went into the castle for shelter,'said Susie. 'That's how it was you saw her peeping out of that window, Iexpect. She has all her meals there too, except breakfast and supper, She justopens a tin.'

'Funny sort of life,' said George. 'Well... that's that! If only we'd gone behind the castle we'd have seen hertoo. We just went straight in at the front. You were watching out for us, Isuppose, and shot down into the cellar to blow up your stupid balloons.'

'We nearly died of laughing when we heard youyelling with fright, and listened to you racing out of the castle,' saidBinkie, and went off into one of her giggling fits.

'Oh do shut up,' said Jack, tired of both Binkieand Susie. 'Go home. Get out of our sight.'

'Wethought we'd like to use the telescope, if you don't mind,' said Susie, puttingon a most polite voice. The moon's rather good tonight.'

'No. This meeting is ending,' said Peter, firmly.'Scoot, you two girls. I think your behaviour was disgraceful.'

'You sound like Miss Cummings, our form mistress,'said Susie, in delight. 'Do say all that again!'

'Oh clear out!' said Peter, at the end of hispatience. 'And don't attempt to do anything funny with our telescope tonight. Iforbid you to!'

'Butit doesn't belong to you,' said Susie, flaring up at once. 'It's half mine. Ionly let you use my half-share in it, I...'

'Susie! Be quiet, and come home with me,' saidJack, and he took his sister's arm very firmly indeed. 'I'm ashamed of you!'

He dragged her out of the shed, and Binkiefollowed. Peter heaved a sigh of relief.

'Thank goodness, we've got rid of them! What apair! Well, let's hope that's the last we'll hear of them for some time!'