SECRET SEVEN WIN THROUGH by Enid Blyton

CHAPTER 13 EVERYTHING SEEMS DULL NOW

Peter and Janet ran down the garden and out of the gate at the bottom. Round the potato-field and over a stile they went, and there was the oat-field, its green rows as bright as emerald!

In the middle of it stood the scarecrow put up by old James. He was a fine one, and wore one of James's old hats, cocked over on one side. He wore a ragged red jersey and an old tweed coat with sagging pockets. A robin flew out of one of them as the children went near.

The scarecrow's ragged trousers flapped in the wind against his two wooden legs. His head was a turnip in which old James had scraped eyes and mouth. He seemed to be grinning at them as they came up, and the wind shook him and made him jig to and fro.

But Peter and Janet didn't look at the scarecrow, or even at the robins' nests in the sagging pockets. They looked at the ground around his wooden legs.

And Peter gave a deep groan that really might have come from the old scarecrow! 'We are too late, Janet. Look, someone's been here, there are footprints all around and about, not only old James's hobnailed ones, but somebody with rubber-soled shoes ... Albert's!'

'Yes,' said Janet, her eyes on the ground. 'And the soil has been well dug up. Something was hidden here, beside the old scarecrow. Oh, Peter, why didn't we look here first?'

'It wouldn't have been any good,' said Peter gloomily. 'I expect Albert came last night. He wouldn't come digging here in the day-time. He knew which scarecrow was meant, of course. We didn't! And all the time it was our own scarecrow!'

'Just dig round a bit and see if there's anything left,' said Janet.

'There won't be,' said Peter dolefully. 'I expect whatever it was was in a bag, a strong bag too, to resist the damp.' He dug about with his fork, but brought up nothing except a surprised worm. 'Blow!' he said. 'I was so excited about this scarecrow business. Now we're too late, Albert has got the stuff, whatever it was, and will be off and away.'

'Yes, I suppose he will,' said Janet dismally. 'I wouldn't be surprised if he knew that it was hidden in this district and that was why he came and hid in our cave, so as to be on the spot to speak to that other man, what was his name ? Jim ? ... and to get the stuff easily.'

'I think you're absolutely right, Janet,' said Peter. 'And if you are, the stolen stuff, or whatever it was, must have come from this district too. I wonder if there have been any robberies lately.'

They had a look at the two cosy robins' nests, both of which had tiny feathered nestlings inside, and then walked back home. It was about half past two, and the other members of the Secret Seven were waiting in the summer-house.

They were very downcast at Peter's news. 'Well, we were none of us successful in our scarecrow-hunt this morning,' said Jack, 'and no wonder, if the loot had been buried by your scarecrow, Peter. What bad luck! If only we'd been able to dig by your scarecrow last night, perhaps we'd have got the hidden goods before Albert.'

'What shall we do now?' asked Pam. 'Everything seems dull suddenly, now that we've not got our cave any more, and the adventure has faded away.'

Tm going up to the cave,' said Jack, standing up. 'I think I left my torch there, high up on a ledge. I hope Albert hasn't taken it! It's rather a nice one, and I'd like to get it if it's still there.'

'Right, we'll all come, just for the walk,' said Peter. 'We could take spades and dig in the old quarry, the sand is moist in parts, and you can model quite well with it, let's do that.'

So they took four spades from the shed and three trowels, and off they went to the quarry. Jack went up to the cave, and then stopped short in surprise.

Someone was there! He could hear excited voices. Then he frowned. He knew one voice, it was Susie's! Blow her... now she would mess about round them, and make silly remarks. Who was with her? It sounded like Jeff. What cheek to come to the cave just like Susie!

He went into the cave, still frowning. Susie and Jeff were right at the back, scrabbling about. Whatever were they doing?

'Susie!' he called sharply. 'What are you doing here?'

Susie turned round and then came quickly over to her brother. 'Jack! I am glad you've come. Something peculiar has happened!'

'What?' asked Jack impatiently. 'I think it's pretty peculiar that you and Jeff should come to our cave, even though we've left it.'

'Don't be cross, Jack. I really am glad you've come,' said Susie. 'Listen. Jeff and I came here, and we thought it was a lovely place. We made deep holes for ourselves, mine's over there, look, and Jeffs is opposite, by the rocky wall. We thought perhaps you others might be coming, so we practically covered ourselves with sand just left our noses out to breathe, and we waited for you so that we could give loud yells and leap out at you when you came in thinking nobody was here-----'

Jack gave a snort. 'Is that all you've got to tell me ? Not very interesting.'

'Oh, do listen, Jack,' said Susie. 'Well, we lay like mice, only our noses out, waiting for you to come in at the front entrance there, and then somebody came out from the back of the cave, and trod heavily on poor Jeff and went out of the entrance!'

'And yet we know the cave was empty when we came in,' said Jeff. 'We looked to make sure. But there's nowhere for anyone to hide or to come from, so who was this person, and how did he get here?'

Jack was now listening intently. This was news! He turned to the entrance of the cave and yelled loudly: 'Peter! Janet! everybody! come here quickly! quickly, I say!'