Mystery of the Strange Bundle by Enid Blyton Read Free Book Online Page B

again.
    “Any more sauce from you, Kenton, and I’ll report you. I’m NOT having a joke with you. You come up here at once. AT ONCE, do you hear?”
    Fatty heard all this and felt that he really must go somewhere and laugh. He tiptoed round to the back of the house where there was a shed he could go into and laugh in peace. He saw the broken casement window, hanging open, as he passed. He thrust his head inside, and sent a terrible growl into the house.
    Mr. Goon heard it. He looked round, and found that Fatty had gone. He was alone - alone in the house with a host of terrifying things. It was too much for Goon. He fled at top speed out of the front door, and didn’t stop running till he came to the bottom of the road.
    Fatty heard him go. And then he laughed. How he laughed! It really was the best laugh Fatty had ever had in all his life!
     
    Laughter is Good for the ’Flu’!
     
    Fatty’s laughter echoed across the next garden and came to the ears of the others. They had retreated to Larry’s house, and had made their way into the back garden to wait for Fatty. Buster heard the laughter too, and pricked up his ears. He began to bark delightedly. Like every one else, he loved Fatty’s enormous laughter!
    Larry climbed up on to the wall. He gave the piercing whistle that the Find-Outers sometimes used. Fatty heard it and saw Larry.
    “Wait for me! I’m coming!” he called. He was soon in the garden with the others. They retired to a little out-house at the bottom of the garden.
    “What happened? And why did Goon rush out of the house so suddenly at top speed?” asked Daisy. “We saw him flashing by the gate like dark-blue lightning!”
    Fatty began to laugh helplessly again. The others had to laugh as they watched him. Pip gave him a punch and Buster leapt on him in excitement. Why was his master so pleased?
    “Come on - tell us the joke,” said Pip.
    So Fatty told them, and soon they were all helplessly sitting on the floor of the out-house, holding their sides, picturing Mr. Goon’s amazement at the thought of the grunting pig, the growling dog, and the groaning man.
    “That Auntie bit! Oh, what made you think of that?” groaned Larry, holding his aching sides. “That’s a touch of genius. Oh dear - only an idiot like Goon would have taken all that in! I say - what will Inspector Jenks think when Goon makes out a report full of pigs, and dogs, and men that want their aunties?”
    That made them all laugh again, but Fatty began to look a little more sober. He rubbed his nose thoughtfully. “I hadn’t thought of Goon making out a report,” he said. “Yes, I suppose he’ll have to. Gosh, the Chief Inspector will smell a rat, I should think. Especially if he knows I was with Goon at the time all this happened.”
    “He may not put you into the report,” said Daisy, comfortingly. “He’d leave you out if he possibly could. He hates admitting you are ever on the same job as he is.
    “He telephoned for help,” said Fatty. “Let’s go and see if he’s met his help and if they’re coming back.”
    Just as they got to the front gate and hung over it, with Buster doing his best to squeeze underneath, Mr. Goon came up the road with P.C. Kenton. P.C. Kenton had been most astonished to have Goon bump violently into him at the corner of the road.
    “I just came to meet you,” explained Goon in haste. “Thought you mightn’t know where the house was. Come on.”
    He scowled when he saw the five leaning over the gate. He especially scowled at Fatty for deserting him. Gah! Toad of a boy! However, he thought it best to say nothing whatever to any of them, in case Fatty was funny at his expense. Fatty could be rude more politely than any one Goon had ever met.
    “I bet Goon’s friend will be puzzled to find the house completely empty of kitten, dog, pig, and man,” said Fatty. He had brought the kitten with him to Daisy’s. It had most conveniently jumped out of the window and landed at his feet while he had been standing laughing at the back of the