Mystery Of The Burnt Cottage by Enid Blyton Read Free Book Online Page B

the other side of the rick. That meant someone was coming. Well, they would all have to wait till the passer-by was gone. Larry crept round to join Pip and the rest.
    1 “Someone coming?” he asked.
    “Yes - old Clear-Orf!” said Fatty. Larry peeped round ,the rick. The village policeman was coming up from the other direction, along a path that did not go near the rick. He would soon be gone.
    But as he came along he suddenly caught sight of the old tramp sleeping by the rick. The children drew back hurriedly as Mr. Goon walked quietly and quickly over to the rick. There was a ladder leaning against the rick and Larry pushed Bets and the others up as quickly as he could.
    They would be less likely to be seen on top than below. fortunately the rick had been cut well out, when hay was taken to the various farm-animals, and it was easy to balance on the cut-out part.
    The policeman crept up quietly. The children, peering over the rick, saw him take out a notebook. Fatty gave Lany such a nudge that the boy nearly fell.
    “Look! Look what he’s got down in his notebook! He’s got a drawing of that footprint we saw! He’s been cleverer than we thought!”
    Clear-Orf tiptoed up to the tramp and tried His best to see what sort of shoes he had on. He, too, did as Lany had done and knelt down, the better to see. And the tramp opened His eyes!”
    His astonishment at seeing the policeman kneeling in front of him was enormous. It was one thing to see a boy behaving like that, but quite another thing to see a policeman. The tramp leapt to His feet with a howl.
    “First it’s a boy bowing down to me and now it’s a bobby!” he said, jamming his old hat down on his long grey hair. “What’s it all about?”
    “I want to see your shoes,” said Clear-Orf.
    “Well, see them, then! Look at them well, laces and all!” said the tramp, rapidly losing His temper.
    “I want to see the soles,” said the policeman stolidly.
    “Are you a cobbler or a policeman?” asked the tramp. “Well - you show me the buttons on your shirt, and I’ll show you the soles of my shoes!”
    The policeman began to breathe very heavily, and his face got red. He snapped his notebook shut.
    “You’d better come-alonga-me,” he said. The tramp didn’t think so. He skipped out of the way and began to run across the field, very nimbly indeed for an old fellow. Clear-Orf gave a roar, and turned to run after him.
    And at that moment Fatty., excited beyond words, fell off the hay-rick, and landed with a thud on the ground below. He gave such an agonized yell that the policeman stopped in amazement.
    “What’s all this-ere?” he said, and glared at Fatty. Then he caught sight of the other children peering anxiously down from the top of the rick, afraid that Fatty had broken all his bones. He was most astonished.
    “You come on down!” he roared. “Always children messing about! You wait till the farmer catches you! How long have you been there? What do you mean, spying like this?”
    Fatty gave a frightful groan, and the policeman, torn between his desire to rash after the disappearing tramp, and to pull Fatty to his feet and shake him, went up to him.
    “Don’t touch me! I think I’ve broken my left leg and my right arm, dislocated both my shoulders and broken my appendix!” said Fatty, who sincerely believed that he was practically killed.
    Bets gave a squeal of horror and jumped down to see what she could do to help poor Fatty. The others leapt down too, and Buster danced delightedly round Clear-Orf’s ankles. The policeman kicked out at him.
    “Clear-orf,” he said. “Dogs and children! Always messing about and getting in the way. Now that fellow’s gone, and I’ve missed a chance of questioning him 1”
    He waited to see if Fatty was really hurt. But, except for a good shaking, and some fine big bruises, Fatty was not hurt at all. His fat had kept him from breaking any bones!
    As soon as the policeman saw the others helping Fatty up,