10 CALL A MEETING!

CHAPTER TEN CALL A MEETING! GEORGE WENT quickly along the road with Jeff. Jeff chuckled. 'I say, you and Jack fell for our little trick beautifully, didn't you? Susie's clever, she laid her plan well. We all talked at the tops of our voices so that Jack would be sure to hear. We knew he was hiding in the laurel bush.' George said nothing. He was angry that Susie and the Famous Five should have played a trick like that on the Secret Seven– angry that Jack had been so easily taken in– but, dear me, what curious results that trick had had!

Susie had mentioned Tigger's Barn just to make Jack and the Secret Seven think that the Famous Five had got hold of something that was going on there, and had talked about a make-believe Stumpy Dick and Twisty Tom. And lo and behold, something was going on there, not between Stumpy Dick and Twisty Tom, but between three mysterious fellows called Zeb, Larry, and had he heard the other man's name? No, he hadn't. 'You're quiet, George,' said Jeff, chuckling again. 'How did you enjoy your visit to Tigger's Barn? I bet it was a bit frightening!' 'It was,' said George, truthfully, and said no more. He wanted to think about everything carefully, to sort out all he had heard, to try and piece together what had happened. It was all jumbled up in his mind. One thing's certain, he thought, suddenly. We'll have to call a meeting of the Secret Seven. How strange that the Famous Five

should have played a silly joke on us and led us to Something Big– another adventure, I'm sure. Susie's an idiot, but she's done the Secret Seven a very good turn! As soon as George got home he felt in his pocket for the note that Zeb had given him. He felt round anxiously. It would have been dreadful if he had lost it! But he hadn't. His fingers closed over the folded piece of paper. He took it out, his hand trembling with excitement. He opened it, and read it by the light of his bedroom lamp. Dear Charlie, Everything's ready and going OK. Can't see that anything can go wrong, but a fog would be very welcome as you can guess! Larry's looking after the points, we've arranged that. Don't forget the lorry, and get the tarpaulin truck cover marked with white at one corner. That'll save time in

looking for the right load. It's clever of you to send out this load by truck, and collect it by lorry! All the best, Zeb George couldn't make head or tail of this. What in the world was it all about? There was a plot of some kind, that was clear, but what did everything else mean? George went to the telephone. Perhaps Peter wouldn't yet be in bed. He really MUST get on to him and tell him something important had happened. Peter was just going to bed. He came to the telephone in surprise, when his mother called him to it. 'Hallo! What's up?' 'Peter, I can't stop to tell you everything now, but we went to Tigger's Barn, Jack and I, and there is something going on. We had quite

an adventure, and–' 'You don't mean to tell me that that tale of Susie's was true!' said Peter, disbelievingly. 'No. At least, it was all made-up on her part, as you said, but all the same, something is going on at Tigger's Barn, Peter, something Susie didn't know about, of course, because she only mentioned the place in fun. But it's serious, Peter. You must call a meeting of the Secret Seven tomorrow evening after tea.' There was a pause. 'Right,' said Peter, at last. 'I will. This is most odd, George. Don't tell me anything more over the phone, because I don't want Mother asking me too many questions. I'll tell Janet to tell Pam and Barbara there's a meeting tomorrow evening at five o'clock in our shed, and we'll tell Colin and Jack. Gosh! This sounds pretty mysterious.' 'You just wait till you hear the whole story!' said George. 'You'll be amazed.'

He put down the receiver, and got ready for bed, quite forgetting that he had had no supper. He couldn't stop thinking about the happenings of the evening. How odd that the password of the Secret Seven should be Cheeky Charlie, and there should be a real man called by that name! And how extraordinary that Susie's bit of make-believe should suddenly have come true without her knowing it! Something was going on at Tigger's Barn! He got into bed and lay awake for a long time. Jack was also lying awake thinking. He was excited. He wished he hadn't been shut up in that silly cupboard, when he might have been listening all the time. Still, George seemed to have got quite a lot of information. The Secret Seven were very thrilled the next day. It was difficult not to let the Famous Five see that they had something exciting on hand, but Peter had strictly forbidden anyone to talk