Mystery of Tally-Ho Cottage by Enid Blyton Page A

Well, it’s quite a bright idea,’ said Fatty. ‘One we might use sometime, but not just now. Come on - we are all going to the cake-shop for coffee and hot buttered scones.’
    They cycled off to the cake-shop. Ern thought that this custom of the Five of popping out to eat and drink in between meals was a Very Very Good One. His aunt didn’t feed him as well as his mother did, and poor Ern was in a constant state of hunger.
    The cake-shop woman was very pleased to see them. Six children and a hungry dog were better than twelve grown-ups, because they seemed to eat three times as much! She brought out a plate heaped with hot, buttery scones.
    ‘Curranty ones!’ said Pip. ‘Just what I like. It’s decent of you to keep standing us this kind of thing, Fatty. You always seem to have a lot of money.’
    ‘Well, this is my Christmas money,’ said Fatty, who had a good supply of generous aunts and uncles and grandparents. ‘Sit, Buster. Well-mannered dogs do NOT put their paws on the table, and count the number of scones.’
    ‘They’d take some counting!’ said Ern, eyeing the plate with much approval. Then he jumped violently, as a large burly figure suddenly appeared at the door.
    ‘Oh - good morning, Mr. Goon,’ said Fatty. ‘Do come and join us. Do you like hot, buttery scones?’
    Mr. Goon stalked in, his lips pursed up as if he was afraid he might say something he didn’t mean to. He eyed all the children, and Ern squirmed.
    ‘I’ve bin looking for you,’ he said to Fatty. ‘Mr. Hoho-Ha! Ho yes, I’ve read it in Larkin’s notebook. Think you’ve made a fool of me, don’t you? Do you want me to tell the Superintendent?’
    ‘What do you mean?’ said Fatty. ‘I read in the papers that you tackled a strange man very bravely the other day in the grounds of Tally-Ho House. Congratulations, Mr. Goon. I wish I’d been there.’
    Ern disappeared under the table, and Buster welcomed him heartily, licking his face all over. Goon didn’t even see him go.
    ‘What do you mean - you wish you’d been there?’ demanded Mr. Goon. ‘You were there all right, Mr. Hoho-Ha! Just let me say this, Master Frederick Algernon Trotteville - you’d better go back to BONG CASTLE, see! Else you’ll get into Very Serious Trouble.’
    Having made this extraordinary fierce joke Mr. Goon marched out again. The cake-shop woman stared after him in amazement. Whatever was he talking about?
    ‘Poor man. Mad as a hatter,’ said Fatty sympathetically, reaching for another scone. ‘Come out, Ern. You’re safe now. Buck up, or all the scones will be gone.’
    Ern came out from under the table in a hurry, still looking rather pale. He opened his mouth to ask a question.
    ‘We’re not talking about certain things just now, Ern,’ said Fatty warningly, and Ern’s mouth shut, only to open again for a bite at a scone.
    ‘I suppose Goon saw all our bikes outside, and couldn’t resist coming in to say a few words to you,’ said Daisy in a low voice. ‘I thought he was going to burst!’
    The rest of the day passed very pleasantly, as Pip’s mother had asked all the Find-Outers to tea and games.
    ‘Mother says she will be out from three o’clock till seven,’ said Pip. ‘So if we want to make a noise or do anything silly, she says now’s our chance!’
    ‘Very thoughtful of her,’ said Fatty approvingly. ‘Your mother is strict, Pip, but always fair. I hope your cook is in?’
    Pip grinned. ‘Oh yes - and she says if you go down to the kitchen and do your imitation of the gardener when she’s been and picked some parsley without asking him, she’ll make you your favourite gingerbread.’
    ‘A very reasonable bargain,’ said Fatty. He had once been at Pip’s when the hot-tempered gardener had discovered the cook picking his parsley, ‘without so much as a by-your-leaf’. Fatty had thoroughly enjoyed his remarks, and the cook had been delighted to hear Fatty acting the whole thing to the others afterwards. She had even lent him her cooking apron for an imitation gardening apron.
    Fatty