5 A victory for Susie

CHAPTER FIVE A victory for Susie THE SECRET Seven were so angry that they hardly knew what to do. So it was Susie and her friends who had planned all this! While Susie had been boldly giving the password and forcing her way into their meeting the night before, her friends were pretending to scuffle in the bushes to stop Colin and make him think something really serious was going on! 'They took me in properly,' groaned Colin. 'I really thought it was men scuffling there, and I was so pleased to find that notebook when they had run off! It was too dark to spot that they weren't men, of course.' 'No wonder Susie giggled all the time she was in our shed, and laughed when Colin

rushed in to tell us of his adventure!' said Janet. 'Horrid, tiresome girl!' 'She's the worst sister possible,' said Jack, gloomily. 'Fancy putting that list of stolen things in the notebook, of course, she had heard my father read them out at breakfast- time too. Bother Susie!' George kicked at the shed door. From the inside came the sound of shrieks of delighted laughter, and some enormous guffaws from Jim, who, like Doris, was rolling about from side to side, holding his aching sides. Oh, what a joke! Oh, to think they had brought the stuck-up Secret Seven all the way to this shed, just to see them!

'You just wait till you unlock the door and come out!' called Jack. 'You just wait! I'll pull your hair till you squeal, Susie. I'm ashamed of you!' More squeals of laughter, and a loud, 'Ho, ho, ho,' from Jim again. It really was maddening. 'There's seven of us, and only four of you,' cried Colin, warningly. 'And we'll wait here till you come out, see? You hadn't thought of that, had you?' 'Oh yes, we had,' called Susie. 'But you'll let us go free - you see if you don't.'

'We shan't!' said Jack, furiously. 'Unlock the door.' 'Listen, Jack,' said Susie. 'This is going to be a LOVELY tale to tell all the others at school. Won't the Secret Seven be laughed at? Silly old Secret Seven, tricked by a stupid notebook. They think themselves so grand and so clever, but they're sure that four children in a shed are a gang of robbers shooting at one another! And we only had paper bags to pop!' The four inside popped paper bags again and roared with laughter. The Secret Seven felt gloomier and gloomier. 'You know, Susie will make everyone roar with laughter about this,' said Colin. 'We shan't be able to hold our heads up for ages. Susie's right. We'll have to let them go free, and not set on them when they come out.' 'No!' said Peter and Jack. 'Yes,' said Colin. 'We'll have to make a bargain with them, and Susie jolly well knows

it. We'll have to let them go free in return for their keeping silent about this. It's no good, we've got to. I don't want all the silly kids in the first form roaring with laughter and popping paper bags at me whenever I go by. And they will. I know them!' There was a silence. It dawned on everyone that Colin was right. Susie had got the best of them. They couldn't allow anyone to make a laughing-stock of their Secret Seven Society. They were so proud of it; it was the best Secret Society in the world. Peter sighed. Susie was a pest. Somehow they must pay her back for this tiresome, aggravating trick. But for the moment she had won. 'Susie! You win, for the present!' said Peter. 'You can go free, and we won't even pull your hair, if you promise solemnly not to say a single word about this to anyone at school.' 'All right,' called Susie, triumphantly. 'I

knew you'd have to make that bargain. What a swizz for you! Silly old Secret Seven! Meeting solemnly week after week with never a thing to do! Well, we're coming out, so mind you keep your word.' The door was unlocked from inside and the four came out, laughing and grinning. They stalked through the Secret Seven, noses in the air, enjoying their triumph. Jack's fingers itched to grab at Susie's hair, but he kept them in his pockets. 'Goodbye. Thanks for a marvellous show,' said the irritating Susie. 'Let us know when you want another adventure, and we'll provide