GOOD OLD SECRET SEVEN by Enid Blyton

21 SAFE HOME AGAIN!

Petershone his torch on to the shouting mob, and nearly dropped it in surprise. 'dad! How did you get here! AndMatt! I say, look ... there's Dad and Matt and Gardener; and they've caught all three of the men!'

The torches shone on the six men and the exciteddog. There was no sign of the woman ... shehad fled away while she had the chance!

'Now then ... you just come along quietly,' said Matt's deep voice. The big shepherdwas having the time of his life! He could handle bulls and cows and horses andrams and goodness knows what; andhe had no difficulty at all in handling two or three frightened men, especiallywith Peter's father and the hefty gardener to help.

'Dad! Oh Dad! How did you know we wanted help ... we weren't able to signal!' cried Peter, as his father neatly pinionedhis man's arms behind him.

'Hallo, Peter ... so you're all right!' said his father. 'We're just taking these mendown to their van to lock them in and Matt will drive them down to thepolice-station. I'm sure the police will give them a bed tonight! We foundtheir van parked up the lane, ready to take them off again -  with the pictures too, I suppose! We saw your bikes somewhere down thelane as well!'

'Oh Dad! I can't believe you're here!' said Peter,full of thankfulness. 'I suppose Janet told you where we were. Can we doanything to help you with these fellows?'

'No ... butyou might look around for those pictures,' said his father. 'They're toovaluable to be left in the damp and cold. These fellows won't tell us wherethey are.'

'Perhaps that woman took them,' suggested Matt, marching the tall manaway in front of him. 'She scuttled off like a rabbit.'

'No ... shedidn't take them,' said Peter. 'I know where they are! I'll get them!'

He and the others raced down the hill with theirtorches to find where the rolled-up pictures had gone. Now ... where were they? Surely that woman hadn't found them? No ... there they were, lying where they had rolled, safe and sound, spreadall about the hillside!

'Good!' said Peter, and pounced on them. Soon heand the boys had gathered them all, and ran back to where the men were nowbeing bundled into their own van. They stared angrily when they saw the rollsof canvases carried by the boys.

Matt drove away in the van, with the three angry,frightened men locked inside. Peter's father and Gardener went to the car inwhich they had driven up.

'You boys will come down on your bikes, won'tyou?' Peter's father shouted. 'What about Scamper?'

'Oh take him in the car, Dad, if you will,' saidPeter, lifting up the excited dog. 'He walked all the way here, dear old fellow ... he must be tired now!'

Scamper was thankful to go back in the car.Peter's father carefully put the precious canvases out of his reach, and awaythey went down the hill, following the van.

What a joyful meeting the Seven had in Peter's playroom, as soon as theyarrived back. The girls and Peter's mother gave them a great welcome and couldhardly wait to hear their news ... andhow eagerly they listened to the four boys' exciting story.

'Oh what a time you had!' said Janet, her eyesshining. 'Oh, I wish I'd been with you! Whatever will Susie and Binkie say whenthey hear all this? By the way, did you find our telescope in the castle? Isuppose the men had hidden it somewhere there?'

'No ... wedidn't find the telescope!' said Jack. 'Blow! We ought to have asked those menwhere it was ... our marvellous telescope that brought us thisexciting adventure!'

'Here's Dad back again,' said Peter, hearing thefront door open, and Scamper's loud barking as he too came in, and rushed upthe stairs. Peter opened the playroom door, and Scamper jumped up at him injoy.

'Dad!We're all up here, Mother too!' called Peter. ''Oh Dad ... thank you for coming to our rescue! We couldn't even give the signalfor help ... so we'd all be down in those miserable dungeonsstill, if you hadn't rescued us. Oh Dad ... wasn't it exciting!'

'Sir,' said Jack, anxiously, 'did the men sayanything about my telescope? We're pretty sure they stole it because they knewwe were watching the castle through it.'

'Oh yes ...they've admitted that they stole it,' said Peter's father. 'But I'm sorry tohave to tell you that they didn't take it up to the castle - they simply threw it away into the river.'

'Oh my goodness!' said Jack, looking very down inthe dumps. 'That's a blow. It was such a wonderful telescope ... I'll never, never have another like it.'

'Youwill, old chap!' said Peter's father. There's a reward offered for thosepictures ... a pretty good one too ... and as it will go to the Secret Seven of course, I'm sure that at theirnext meeting they will agree to buying you a magnificent telescope, Jack - and there will be enough money over for the Seven to save for a verygood Christmas, as well ... youcertainly deserve it!'

'And Scamper, you shall have the biggest bone wecan buy you!' said Janet, patting the spaniel's silky head. 'Oh I'm longing forour next Secret Seven meeting ... we'll have such plans to make!'

'You will, Janet! How we'd like to listen in andhear your excited voices, planning how to spend that reward ; a fine new telescope for Jack and Susie, a bone for Scamper, alovely Christmas for everyone. And I'm sure we can all guess what your nextpassword will be ... pictures! Are we right, Peter?