Mystery of the Vanished Prince by Enid Blyton Read Free Book Online Page A

Princess again?” asked his uncle.
    “No, Uncle,” said Ern, in alarm. “I say - you’re not after her, are you?”
    “Do you know where she lives?” said Mr. Goon, thinking that perhaps he might get something out of Ern, if he couldn’t find the elusive Fatty.
    “Why don’t you ask Fatty?” said Ern, innocently. “He knows her very well. I expect she sees him every day. Coo - she might know something about her brother’s disappearance. I never thought of that! ”
    “Now you listen here, Ern,” said Mr. Goon, solemnly. “You remember Chief Inspector Jenks? Well, I’ve been talking to him on the phone to-day, see, about this same disappearance. And he’s put me in charge of the case. I’m trying to find that princess to question her. But do you think I can find that pest of a boy to ask him about her? He’s nowhere to be found! Makes me think he’s disappearing too - on purpose!”
    Ern picked up his bike, listening hard. He thought it very likely indeed that Fatty was avoiding Mr. Goon. Ern considered it was a very sensible thing to do. Perhaps Fatty was on to this case too? Perhaps - oh joy - perhaps a mystery had suddenly turned up right under his very nose. Maybe Fatty was avoiding Mr. Goon so that he shouldn’t have to give away what he knew about the Princess.
    Ern grinned suddenly, much to his uncle’s astonishment. “What you grinning at all of a sudden?” he asked suspiciously.
    Ern didn’t answer. His grin faded. “Now you look here, young Ern,” boomed Mr. Goon, “if I catch you hanging round Peterswood, hob-nobbing with that pest of a boy, I’ll have you and Sid and Perce cleared out of that camp in double-quick time - do you hear me? You don’t know nothing about this case at all, and you aren’t going to know anything, either. I know you and your ways - telling tales of this and that and the other! All you can tell that boy this time is that I’m in charge of this, and if he doesn’t tell me all he knows about that princess before teatime, so’s I can report to the Chief Inspector, he’ll get into Serious Trouble. Very Serious Trouble.”
    Mr. Goon was quite out of breath after this long speech. Ern edged out of the barn. The hens peeping round the door scattered at once, clucking. Ern leapt on his bicycle and rode out at top speed.
    “You go and tell that boy I want him!” yelled Mr. Goon, as a parting shot. “I’m not going all over the place after him again!”
    Ern cycled quickly to Fatty’s, relieved to have got away from his uncle without a cuff or a blow. He hoped to goodness he would find Fatty at home. He was lucky! Fatty was in his shed with the others, keeping a watch for Goon.
    Ern poured out his tale, and was disappointed to find that the others already knew about the Prince’s disappearance from the papers. “What about that Princess, Fatty?” said Ern. “Don’t she know nothing about her brother?”
    “Ern - she wasn’t a real Princess,” said Fatty, thinking it was time to own up to their joke. “That was only young Bets here dressed up in some things I brought from Morocco. And her cousin was Daisy, and the others were Larry and Pip!”
    “Kim-Larriana-Tik, at your service,” said Larry, with a bow.
    “Kim-Pippy-Tok,” said Pip, with another bow. Ern stared, bewildered. He rubbed his hand over his eyes. He stared again.
    “Lovaduck!” he said at last. “No, I can’t believe it! Just you dressed up, little Bets! And you looked a real princess too. Coo! No wonder my uncle’s wanting to see you, Fatty, and ask about the Princess - and no wonder you don’t want to see him! Took him in properly, we did! Me with the State Umbrella and all!”
    Bets began to laugh. “You were fine, Ern,” she said. “Oh dear - didn’t we talk a foreign language beautifully! Onna-matta-tickly-pop!”
    “Beats me how you can talk like that,” said Ern, wonderingly. “But I say - what’s the Inspector going to say about all this? My uncle says he told him all about the Princess this morning, and he’s been put in charge of the