1 SUSIE IS MOST ANNOYING

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CHAPTER ONE SUSIE IS MOST ANNOYING PETER WAS going home from school one afternoon, swinging his satchel, when someone came running behind him and bumped into him. He dropped his bag and almost fell over. He looked round crossly, expecting it to be George or Colin. But it wasn't. It was Susie with her cheeky face, standing by the kerb grinning at him. 'Sorry!' she said. 'You were in my way. How's the Secret Seven Society going?' 'You just look where you're going, Susie,'

said Peter, picking up his bag. 'As for the Secret Seven, it's no business of yours. You're always trying to interfere!' 'Jack says there haven't been any Secret Seven meetings for ages,' said Susie, walking beside Peter, much to his annoyance. Susie was the most aggravating girl he knew. Jack was Susie's brother, and a member of the Secret Seven. Peter was quite sure he hadn't said anything about the meetings. But Susie was right. They hadn't had any meetings for a long time. The Easter term had been rather exciting so far, and Peter hadn't thought a great deal about his Secret Society. 'Well, we're having a Secret Seven meeting very soon,' he said to Susie, making up his mind suddenly that they would. 'But you're not coming! And if you try any silly snooping, you'll be sorry. You don't belong to our Society, and you never will.' 'I know your last password,' said Susie,

skipping over the cracks in the paving-stones. 'Aha!' 'You don't,' said Peter, racking his brains to remember what it was. Goodness – it wouldn't do for him to forget it! 'I do. It's Jack Sprat!' said Susie, and Peter scowled at her. She was right. Jack Sprat was the last password they had chosen – a secret password – and here was Susie shouting it out in the road. She saw his angry face and laughed. 'I'm right, aren't I? Yours is a silly society. I know your password, and so do all the girls in my class. I told them. So the next time you have a meeting we'll all be along, shout out the password, and you'll have to let us in.' 'Who told you the password?' demanded Peter. 'I know Jack wouldn't.' 'Oh no. Jack's a most annoying brother. He never tells me anything,' said Susie. 'But when I went to borrow a hanky from his drawer, I

found a piece of paper there, hidden under a pile of hankies. And on it was scribbled: "Remember the password – Jack Sprat".' 'You're always snooping about, Susie!' said Peter, angrily. 'I never knew such a girl. Why can't you leave us alone, and not keep trying to find out our passwords and what we're doing?' 'Well, why don't you let me belong?' demanded Susie. 'You let Janet belong, and Pam and Barbara.' 'Don't be silly. It's the Secret Seven. We can't have any more members, or we'd be eight,' said Peter. 'Anyway, we don't want you, Susie.' 'You're mean,' said Susie. 'Well, I'll tell Jack you're having another meeting soon. When shall I say it is?' 'Don't you go telling Jack anything!' said Peter, really exasperated with this annoying sister of Jack's. 'I send out notices of meetings, not you. And you needn't bother to remember

the password. I shall choose another one immediately, and let the members know.' 'Oh, well, Jack is sure to write it down to remember it again,' said Susie, skipping off. 'And I shall be sure to find it. Goodbye, and give my love to Jack Sprat.' Peter glared at Susie's back. What an awful girl! He was glad that his own sister, Janet, wasn't like Susie. He walked home with a solemn face. Certainly a meeting must be called soon. There hadn't been one for ages. It would never do to let the Secret Seven come to an end just because there weren't any meetings, or anything special happening. But you can't solve mysteries and things unless there are some to solve, thought Peter. We'll have to think up something else to do, till one comes along. Sometimes it seems as if nothing happens for ages and ages. I'll have to change the password, too. Fancy Jack being