Mystery of the Burnt Cottage - Blyton Enid (читать книги онлайн бесплатно полные версии .txt) 📗

A Surprising Talk with Lily

Larry and Daisy rushed up to the others. They stared at the shoe in her hand in excitement.

"Daisy! Oh, Daisy! Have you found the rubber-soled shoes that belong to the man who burnt the cottage?" asked Fatty.

"I think so," said Daisy importantly. "You see, Larry and I went to see Mr. Smellie, as we had planned to do — and whilst he was talking to Larry I slipped away and looked in his hall cupboard where shoes and things are kept. And among the shoes I found one pair that had rubber soles — and I'm almost certain the markings are the same as in those footprints we saw."

The children crowded round to look. "It certainly looks very like the right shoe," said Pip.

"It is" said Fatty. "I ought to know, because I drew the prints!"

"Well, I don't think it is," said Bets unexpectedly. "The squares on the criss-cross pattern aren't quite so big. I'm sure they're not."

"As if you could tell!" said Pip scornfully, "I think we've got the right shoe — and we'll prove it. Get the drawing out of the summer-house. Fatty."

Fatty went to get it. He took it from behind the loose board and brought it out to the others. They unfolded it, fueling very thrilled.

They all gazed at the drawing, and then at the underneath of Mr. Smellie's shoe. They looked very, very hard indeed, and then they sighed in disappointment.

"Bets is right.," said Fatty. "The squares in the pattern of the rubber sole are not quite so big as in my drawing. And I know my drawing is quite correct, because I measured everything carefully. I'm awfully good at things like that. I never make…"

"Shut up," said Larry, who always felt cross when Fatty began His boasting. "Bets, as you say, is quite right. Good for you, young Bets!"

Bets glowed with pleasure. She really had learnt that drawing off by heart, as she had said she would. But she was as disappointed as the others that Daisy had not found the right shoe after all.

"It's awfully difficult being a Find-Outer, isn't it?" said Bets. "We keep finding out things that aren't much, help, or that make everything even more difficult. Pip, tell Larry and Daisy what the tramp said."

"Oh yes — you must hear about that," said Pip; and he began to tell Larry and Daisy what had happened with the tramp.

"So now, you see, it's a bigger puzzle than ever," finished Pip. "The tramp saw Peeks all right, hiding in the bushes — but he heard him whispering to some one else! Was it old Mr. Smellie, do you think? You say that he went out for a walk that evening, and we know that Peeks was out at that time too. Do you suppose they planned the fire together?"

"They might have," said Larry thoughtfully. "They must have known one another — and they might have got together that day and made up their minds to punish old Hiccup for his unkindness. However can we find out?"

"Perhaps we had better see Mr. Smellie again?" said Daisy. "Anyway, we must put back his shoe somehow. We can't keep it. Any one seen Clear-Orf today?"

Nobody had, and nobody wanted to. The children talked over what they were to do next. At the moment everything seemed rather muddled and difficult. Although they had ruled out Mrs. Minns and the tramp from their list of Suspects, it seemed impossible to know whether Peeks or Smellie, or both, had really done the crime.

"It wouldn't be a bad idea to go and see Lily," said Fatty suddenly. "She might tell us a few things about Horace Peeks. After all, she wrote him a letter to warn him. She might know more than we think!"

"But Lily wasn't there that evening," said Daisy. "It was her evening off. She said so."

"Well, how are we to know she didn't go back to Hiccup's and hide in the garden?" said Fatty.

"It see his as if half the village was hiding in that garden on the evening of the fire," said Larry. "The old tramp was there — and we think Smellie was — and we know Peeks was — and now you say perhaps Lily was too!"

"I know. It's really funny to think how full Hiccup's garden was that evening!" grinned Fatty. "Well — don't you think it would be a good thing to go and see Lily? I don't suspect her of anything — but it would be just as well to see if she can tell us anything to help us,".

"Yes — it's quite a good Idea," said Larry. "Blow — there's your dinner-bell. Pip. We'll have to leave things till this afternoon. We'll all go down and see Lily — we'll take something for the cat and kittens again. And what about Mr. Smellie's shoe? When shall we take that back?"

"We'd better take it back this evening," said Daisy. "You take it back, Larry, when it's dark. You may find the garden door open, and you can just slip in and put the shoe back."

"Right," said Larry, and he got up to go. "We'll be back after lunch, Find-Outers. By the way — how are your bruises, Fatty?"

"Fine," said Fatty proudly. "I'll show you them."

"Can't stop now," said Larry. "I'll see them this afternoon. So long!"

"One's going yellow already," said Fatty. But Larry and Daisy were gone. Pip and Bets were running to the house, afraid of getting into trouble if they waited any longer. Fatty went off with Buster, hoping that the others wouldn't forget about his bruises in the afternoon.

They all met together again at half-past two. Daisy had stopped at the fishmonger's and bought some fish for the cats. It smelt very strong, and Buster kept worrying her to undo the paper. Nobody asked Fatty about his braises.

He was offended, and sat gloomily whilst the others discussed what to say to Lily. Bets noticed his face and was surprised.

"What's the matter, Fatty?" she asked. "Are you ill?"

"No," said Fatty. "Just a bit stiff, that's all."

Daisy took a look at him and gave a little squeal of laughter. "Oh, poor Fatty! We said we'd look at His bruises and we haven't!"

Every one laughed. "Fatty's an awful baby," said Larry. "Cheer up, Fat-One. Show us your bruises and let us admire every one of them, big, medium and small."

"They're not worth mentioning," said Fatty stiffly. "Come on — let's get going. We'd better get off quickly, or it will be tea-time before we've finished talking."

"We'll see his bruises at tea-time," whispered Daisy to Larry. "He's gone all sulky now!"

So they set off down the lane to find Lily. They felt certain they would not be caught by Hiccup this time because Pip had seen him go by in his car not long before.

"One or two of us must talk to Mrs. Minns," said Larry, "and the others had better try and get Lily out into the garden and talk to her. We'll see how things go."

But, as it happened, everything was very easy. Mrs. Minns was out, and there was no one in the kitchen but Lily. She was pleased to see the children and Buster.

"I'll just put Sweetie and the kittens out in the hall, and shut the door," she said. "Then that little dog can come in. I like dogs. What's His name? Buster! That's a nice name for a dog. Buster! Buster! Would you like a bone?"

Soon the cat and kittens were safely out of the way and Buster was gnawing a bone on the floor. Lily got out some chocolate from a drawer and handed it round. The children liked her. She seemed much more cheerful without Mrs. Minns to shout at her.

"We gave that note to Horace Peeks," said Larry. "We found him all right."

"Yes, I got a letter from him today," said Lily. She looked rather sad suddenly. "That nasty Mr. Goon went up and saw Mm and said all kinds of horrible things to Mm. Horace is that worried he doesn't know what to do."

"Did Mr. Goon think he had started the fire, then?" asked Daisy.

"Yes," said Lily. "A good many people are saying that. But it isn't true."

"How do you know?" asked Fatty.

"Well, I do know," said Lily.

"But you weren't here," said Larry. "If you weren't here, you can't possibly know who did or didn't start the fire. It might have been Horace for all you know."