Mystery of the Hidden House by Enid Blyton Read Free Book Online Page A

his uncle. “Well, let’s hope she won’t come hammering again.”
    She didn’t. She went home to Fatty’s house, slipped out of her things in Fatty’s shed - and there was Fatty himself, taking off the woman’s wig he wore, and rubbing away the wrinkles he had painted on his face. He chuckled. “That took Goon in properly! My word, Ern’s face was a picture when he saw it was me!”
     

Mysterious Happenings on Christmas Hill
     
    Ern was in such a state of excitement all the rest of the day that his uncle couldn’t help noticing it. He stared at Ern and wondered. What was up with the boy? He hadn’t seen or heard from the others. Then why was he so excited? He couldn’t keep still for a minute.
    “Stop fidgeting, Ern!” said Mr. Goon sharply. “What’s the matter with you?”
    “Nothing, Uncle,” said Ern. Actually Ern was a bit worried about something. He knew Christmas Hill all right - but he didn’t know where this mill was that Fatty had written of in his letter. How could he find out? Only by asking his uncle. But would his uncle smell a rat if he began talking about the mill?
    He decided to get a map of the district out of the bookcase and study it. So when Mr. Goon was answering the telephone, Ern slid the map from the shelf, opened it and looked for the mill. Oh yes - there it was - on the right of the stream. If he followed the stream he couldn’t help coming to the mill. Ern shivered in delight when he thought of creeping out all by himself that night. He marked where the mill was, and then with his pencil followed the way he would go, right up to the mill.
    Mr. Goon’s eyes looked sharply at the map as he came back into the room. “What are you studying?” he asked.
    “Oh - just looking at a map of this district to see if I can go for a good walk somewhere,” said Ern. He put the map back, and felt the little note in his pocket. Nothing would make him show it to Mr. Goon. Ah, that was a clever trick of Fatty’s, getting him a message through, right under Mr. Goon’s nose!
    Mr. Goon knew there was something up, especially when Ern said he would pop off to bed early. That wasn’t like Ern! He watched him go, and then took out from the shelf the map that he had seen Ern using. He at once saw the pencilled path from the village of Peterswood to the old mill on Christmas Hill.
    “So that’s where something’s going on!” said Mr. Goon to himself. “Lights flashing on Christmas Hill - which means somebody’s there that’s got no business to be. And the person to look into this is P.C. Goon. There’s no time like the present, either. I’ll go tonight!”
    Quite a lot of people were preparing to go to Christmas Hill that night! Pip and Larry were going, complete with torches, and red, blue and green coloured paper to slip over the beam now and again. Fatty was going, of course, to give Ern a fright. Ern was going - and so was Mr. Goon. A real crowd!
    Mr. Goon didn’t go to bed that night. It wasn’t worth it. He planned to slip off at about half-past eleven, very quietly so as not to wake Ern.
    Ern, as a matter of fact, was wide awake, listening to the church clock striking the half-hours. He shivered with excitement in his warm bed. He didn’t hear Mr. Goon go quietly out of the front door and pull it to behind him. He quite thought his uncle was in bed and asleep, as he usually was at that hour.
    About two minutes after Mr. Goon had gone from the house Ern got up. He was fully dressed. He took his torch and tried it. Yes, it was all right. Bit faint, but it would last. He pulled on a coat, stuffed a scarf round his neck, and put on his big cap. He trod quietly down the stairs, hoping not to wake up his uncle - who by this time was plodding softly up Christmas Hill.
    Fatty was already by the mill, hidden safely under a bush. Larry and Pip were some distance away, each with a torch and directions to begin shining them here and there, to and fro, every few minutes, in the direction of the mill. The hill was a desolate,