Mystery of the Pantomime Cat by Enid Blyton Read Free Book Online Page B

when
commanded. Gah!"
    Mr. Goon made a dignified and haughty departure, walking
ponderously down the path to his front gate, and shutting it sharply. Fatty,
Buster, and Pippin were left together in the little sitting-room. Fatty put
Buster down. He at once ran to Pippin and pawed eagerly at his legs, whining.
    Pippin stooped down and patted him. He looked so miserable that
Fatty wanted to comfort him.
    "He's thanking you for sticking up for him," he said.
"Thanks from me, too, Mr. Pippin. Awfully decent of you."
    "He's a nice dog," said Pippin. "I like dogs. I've
got one of my own, back home. Goon wouldn't let me bring him here.'
    "I bet you think just about the same of Goon as I do—as we
all do," said Fatty. "He's a beast. Always has been. He'd no right to
speak to you in that way, you know."
    "I thought I was on to such a good case," said Pippin,
sitting down and taking out his fountain pen to write. "I was going to
send for Goon this morning, of course—but he saw a notice in the paper and came
tearing back, accusing me of not having told him anything. Now I've had to give
him all my clues—and he'll use them instead of me."
    Fatty considered things carefully. Should he confess to Pippin now
that they were not real clues? No—Goon had them—let him mess about with them!
Fatty thought
    that possibly Pippin might feel he ought to tell Goon they were
false clues, if he. Fatty, confessed to him that they were—and that would spoil
everything. Goon would go and complain to their parents, they would be
forbidden to try and solve this mystery, and Pippin would be called over the
coals by Goon for being so stupid as to be taken in by false clues.
    It would be very nice indeed if Goon would busy himself with those
clues, and leave the way clear for Fatty and the other Find-Outers to go to
work! Pippin might help them. That would be better still.
    "Mr. Pippin, don't take any notice of what Mr. Goon says to
you," said Fatty, earnestly. "I am sure that Inspector Jenks, who is
a great friend of ours, wouldn't allow him to speak to you like that, if he
knew."
    "The Inspector told me about you and the others," said
Pippin. "He's got a very high opinion of you, I must say. Said you'd been no
end of a help in solving all kinds of mysterious cases."
    Fatty saw his chance and took it. "Yes—that's true—and
Pippin, I shall be on to this case too—and probably solve it! I should be very
proud if you would help us—it would be nice to present the Inspector with
another mystery correctly solved. He'd be thrilled."
    Pippin looked up at the earnest Fatty. Fatty was only a boy in his
teens, but there was something about him that made people respect him and trust
him. Brains? Yes. Character? Plenty! Cheek? Too much. Pluck? Any amount. Pippin
saw all this as he looked at Fatty and sized him up. Well—if Inspector Jenks
like this boy and admired him, then he. Pippin, was quite prepared to do the
same—very willing to, in face, seeing that it looked as if Fatty was not going
to work with Mr. Goon! Pippin couldn't help thinking it would be very nice
indeed to help this boy to solve the mystery—what
    a sell for Mr. Goon that would be!
    "Well," he said, and paused. "Well—I'd like to help
you—hut wouldn't I have to tell Mr. Goon anything we discovered?"
    "But, Mr. Pippin, didn't you hear him tell you that he didn't
want your help?" said Fatty. "Didn't you hear him say you weren't to
go to him with any of your silly mewling ideas—whatever they are! You'd
be disobeying his orders if you told him anything."
    This seemed a very sensible way out to Pippin. Yes
    - he certainly would be disobeying orders if he went and told Mr.
Goon anything now. On the other hand, surely it was his duty to work on the
case if he could. Wasn't he the one to discover the robbery?
    "I'll help you," he told Fatty, and the boy grinned with
pleasure. "I guess if the Inspector has let you meddle in other cases,
he'd say you could meddle in this one too.