"Blyton, Enid - The Five Find-Outers 15 - The Mystery of Banshee Towers 1.1" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blyton Enid)
He held up the little Scottie, and Buster most ecstatically licked all his four friends, whining in joy. Then Fatty put him down on the pavement, and alas, Buster suddenly spotted Goon the policeman, who was staring angrily at the children from across the road.
Buster gave a yelp of delight and raced across the road at top speed. Ah, here was his old enemy! What about dancing round his ankles and pretending to nip him? Buster felt just like a little exercise after his long ride on the bus!
Mr Goon glared at the excited Buster in disgust. "Ha - you little pest of a dog! So you're back with your master, are you? Get away, now! Clear-orf!"
"Buster's only telling you how pleased he is to see you," said Fatty, as the burly policeman tried to skip away from Buster's attentions. "My word, Mr Goon, you ought to learn dancing! You're really nippy with your feet - almost as nippy as Buster is with his teeth! Heel, Buster! The Dancing Lesson is over!"
Goon went purple in the face. That boy! That toad of a boy! What wonderful peace and quiet there had been in the village for at least a week, with That Boy away! Now he was back, and something would turn up to make things uncomfortable, Goon was sure. That fat boy was always in the middle of Peculiar Happenings of some sort!
Fatty joined the others, who, feeling sure that the fellow with the cat had complained about them to Mr Goon, were keeping well away from the angry policeman.
"I must say that I think you were all a bit fatheaded - following a chap-with-a-cat instead of a boy-with-a-dog!" said Fatty.
"All right - don't rub it in," said Larry. "I'll stand us all ice-creams to make up for our mistake."
"Sorry - but I think I _must_ get home first." said Fatty. "Mother will be looking out for me. But let's have a Meeting this afternoon - A Meeting of the Famous Find-Outers and Dog! Come to my workroom about half-past two. Come on. Buster old thing! To heel! and DO remember to be polite and shake paws with my father and mother as SOON as you see them!"
Larry and Daisy went off together and so did Pip and Bets. Bets' mother was amused to see the little girl's happy face. "I can see that you met Frederick all right!" she said.
"We're having a Meeting at Fatty's this afternoon," said Bets, her face glowing. "It's the first Meeting the Find-Outers have had for ages!"
"Find-Outers?" said her mother. "Let me see now, that's..."
"_If_ one turns up!" said Bets.
Don't worry, Bets. Things always happen when Fatty is around. I don't expect you will have to wait _very_ long before a nice "juicy" mystery looms up for every one of you!
2 - DOWN IN FATTY'S WORKROOM
Bets felt excited when at last the time came to go to the first Meeting of the holidays. Her mother had not allowed her to race off immediately after dinner, but had sent both her and Pip up to their playroom.
"I don't know if you think that what you did this morning to tidy up the room was anything _like_ enough," she said. "Throwing things higgledy-piggledy into corners and cupboards isn't _my_ idea of clearing up. Please do the job properly before you go!"
"Oh _blow_!" said Pip, exasperated. "Now we shall be late. Come on. Bets, you do your share."
It was soon done, and they raced off down the garden path, happy to be on their way to Fatty's house. They joined up with Larry and Daisy, and were soon in Fatty's workroom at the bottom of his garden, well away from everyone, and _almost_ out of range of any shout from the house!
"Grown-ups want an awful lot of things done if you're within shouting distance, you know," Fatty said. "But if they have to go and _fetch_ you, they're sure to decide it's too much bother - so they do the things themselves!"
The shed was certainly well tucked away, and very, very comfortable. An oil-stove gave quite enough warmth and on the floor was an old tiger-skin, complete with its head. Bets had been scared at first of its open mouth, showing such fierce teeth, and of its glassy eyes - but now she didn't mind it a bit, and often sat on the great head itself.
"This tiger is getting a bit moth-eaten," she said. "We ought to powder him - that's what Mother does to _our_ fur-rugs. Oh, Fatty - you've still got the old crocodile skin stretched on the wall too. I do think this is a most exciting shed. It's lovely to be back again, after so long at school."
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