12 A GAME – AND A BRAINWAVE!

CHAPTER TWELVE A GAME– AND A BRAINWAVE! ANOTHER DAY went by, and Saturday came. A meeting was called for that morning, but nobody had much to say. In fact, it was rather a dull meeting after the excitement of the last one. The Seven sat in the shed eating biscuits provided by Jack's mother, and Scamper was at the door, on guard as usual. It was raining outside. The Seven looked out dismally. 'No good going for a walk, or having a game of football,' said Peter. 'Let's stay here in the shed and play a game.'

'Fetch your railway set, Peter,' said Janet. 'And I'll fetch the farm set. We could set out the lines here in the middle of the toy trees and farm buildings, looking as if they were real countryside. We've got heaps of farm stuff.' 'Oh yes. Let's do that,' said Pam. 'I love your farm set. It's the nicest and biggest I've ever seen. Do get it! We could set it out, and then we could put up the railway.' 'It's a jolly good thing to do on a rainy morning like this,' said Jack, pleased. 'I wanted to help Jeff with his brilliant railway the other day, when George came to tea with me, but he was Susie's guest, and she wouldn't have let us join in for anything. You know, she's very suspicious that we're working on something, Peter. She keeps on and on at me to tell her if anything happened at Tigger's Barn that night.' 'Well, just shut her up,' said Peter. 'Scamper, you needn't watch the door any more. You can come and join us, old fellow.

The meeting's over.' Scamper was pleased. He ran round everyone, wagging his tail. Peter fetched his railway set, and Janet and Pam went to get the big farm set. It had absolutely everything, from animals and farm men to trees, fences, troughs and sties! They all began to put up the two sets– putting together the lines and setting out a proper little countryside, with trees, fences, animals and farm buildings. It really was fun. Peter suddenly looked up at the window. He had noticed a movement there. He saw a face looking in, and leapt up with such a fierce yell that everyone jumped in alarm. 'It's Jeff,' he cried. 'I wonder if he's snooping round for the Famous Five. After him, Scamper!' But Jeff had taken to his heels, and, even if Scamper had caught him, nothing would have happened, because the spaniel knew Jeff well

and liked him. 'It doesn't really matter Jeff looking in,' said Janet. 'All he'd see would be us having a very peaceful game! Let him stand out in the rain and look in if he wants to!' The railway lines were ready at last. The three beautiful clockwork engines were attached to their line of trucks. Two were passenger trains and one was a goods train. 'I'll manage one train, you can do another train, Colin, and you can have a third one, Jack,' said Peter. 'Janet, you do the signals. You're good at those. And, George, you work the points. We mustn't have an accident. You can always switch one of the trains on to another line, if two look like crashing.' 'Right. I'll manage the points,' said George, pleased. 'I like doing those. I love seeing a train being switched off a main-line into a siding.' The engines were wound up and set going. They tore round the floor, and George

switched them cleverly from one line to another when it seemed there might be an accident. And, in the middle of all this, Janet suddenly sat up straight, and said in a loud voice: 'WELL, I NEVER!' The others looked at her. 'What's the matter?' said Peter. 'Well, I never what? Why are you looking as if you are going to burst?' 'Points!' said Janet, excitedly. 'Points!' And she waved her hand to where George was sitting working the points, switching the trains from one line to another. 'Oh, Peter, don't be so stupid! Don't you remember? Those men at Tigger's Barn talked about points. Jack said they kept on mentioning them. Well, I bet they were points on some railway line!' There was a short silence. Then everyone spoke at once. 'Yes! It could be! Why didn't we think of it before? Of course! Points on the

railway!' The game stopped at once and an eager discussion began. 'Why should they use the points? It must be because they want to switch a train on to another line.' 'Yes, a train that contains something they want to steal– lead, probably!' 'Then it's a goods train. One of the trucks must be carrying the lead they want to steal!' 'The tarpaulin! Would that be covering up the load? Don't you remember? It had to be marked with white at the corner, so that the men would know it.' 'Yes! They wouldn't have to waste time then looking into every truck to see which was the right one. Sometimes there are thirty or forty trucks on a goods train. The white marks on the tarpaulin would tell them at once they had the right truck!' 'Woof,' said Scamper, joining in the general