you got under your jersey, Daisy? “
“A rubber-soled shoe with funny markings,” said Daisy, bringing it out “Do you think it is like the footprint?”
“It looks as if it might be,” said Larry, getting excited. “Let’s go straight to the others and compare it with the drawing. Come on! I can hardly wait!”
A Surprising Talk with Lily.
Larry and Daisy rushed up to the others. They stared at the shoe in her hand in excitement.
“Daisy! Oh, Daisy! Have you found the rubber-soled shoes that belong to the man who burnt the cottage?” asked Fatty.
“I think so,” said Daisy importantly. “You see, Larry
and I went to see Mr. Smellie, as we had planned to do -and whilst he was talking to Larry I slipped away and looked in his hall cupboard where shoes and things are kept. And among the shoes I found one pair that had rubber soles - and I’m almost certain the markings are the same as in those footprints we saw.”
The children crowded round to look. “It certainly looks very like the right shoe,” said Pip.
“It is” said Fatty. “I ought to know, because I drew the prints!”
“Well, I don’t think it is,” said Bets unexpectedly. “The squares on the criss-cross pattern aren’t quite so big. I’m sare they’re not.”
“As if you could tell!” said Pip scornfully, “I think we’ve got the right shoe - and we’ll prove it. Get the drawing out of the summer-house. Fatty.”
Fatty went to get it. He took it from behind the loose board and brought it out to the others. They unfolded it, fueling very thrilled.
They all gazed at the drawing, and then at the underneath of Mr. Smellie’s shoe. They looked very, very hard indeed, and then they sighed in disappointment
“Bets is right.,” said Fatty. “The squares in the pattern of ilie rubber sole are not quite so big as in my drawing. And I know my drawing is quite correct, because I measured everything carefully. I’m awfully good at things like that. I never make …”
“Shut up,” said Larry, who always felt cross when Faty began His boasting. “Bets, as you say, is quite right. Good for you, young Bets!”
Bets glowed with pleasure. She really had learnt that drawing off by heart, as she had said she would. But she was as disappointed as the others that Daisy had not found the right shoe after all.
“It’s awfully difficult being a Find-Outer, isn’t it?” said Bets. “We keep finding out things that aren’t much, help, or that make everything even more difficult. Pip, tell Larry and Daisy what the tramp said.”
“Oh yes - you must hear about that,” said Pip; and he
began to tell Larry and Daisy what had happened with the tramp.
“So now, you see, it’s a bigger puzzle than ever,” finished Pip. “The tramp saw Peeks all right, hiding in the bushes - but he heard him whispering to some one else! Was it old Mr. Smellie, do you think? You say that he went out for a walk that evening, and we know that Peeks was out at that time too. Do you suppose they planned the fire together?”
“They might have,” said Larry thoughtfully. “They must have known one another - and they might have got together that day and made up their minds to punish old Hiccup for his unkindness. However can we find out?”
“Perhaps we had better see Mr. Smellie again?” said Daisy. “Anyway, we must put back his shoe somehow. We can’t keep it. Any one seen Clear-Orf today?”
Nobody had, and nobody wanted to. The children talked over what they were to do next. At the moment everything seemed rather muddled and difficult. Although they had. ruled out Mrs. Minns and the tramp from their list of Suspects, it seemed impossible to know whether Peeks or Smellie, or both, had really done the crime.
“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to go and see Lily,” said Fatty suddenly. “She might tell us a few things about Horace Peeks. After all, she wrote him a letter to warn him She might know more than we think!”
“But Lily wasn’t
“A rubber-soled shoe with funny markings,” said Daisy, bringing it out “Do you think it is like the footprint?”
“It looks as if it might be,” said Larry, getting excited. “Let’s go straight to the others and compare it with the drawing. Come on! I can hardly wait!”
A Surprising Talk with Lily.
Larry and Daisy rushed up to the others. They stared at the shoe in her hand in excitement.
“Daisy! Oh, Daisy! Have you found the rubber-soled shoes that belong to the man who burnt the cottage?” asked Fatty.
“I think so,” said Daisy importantly. “You see, Larry
and I went to see Mr. Smellie, as we had planned to do -and whilst he was talking to Larry I slipped away and looked in his hall cupboard where shoes and things are kept. And among the shoes I found one pair that had rubber soles - and I’m almost certain the markings are the same as in those footprints we saw.”
The children crowded round to look. “It certainly looks very like the right shoe,” said Pip.
“It is” said Fatty. “I ought to know, because I drew the prints!”
“Well, I don’t think it is,” said Bets unexpectedly. “The squares on the criss-cross pattern aren’t quite so big. I’m sare they’re not.”
“As if you could tell!” said Pip scornfully, “I think we’ve got the right shoe - and we’ll prove it. Get the drawing out of the summer-house. Fatty.”
Fatty went to get it. He took it from behind the loose board and brought it out to the others. They unfolded it, fueling very thrilled.
They all gazed at the drawing, and then at the underneath of Mr. Smellie’s shoe. They looked very, very hard indeed, and then they sighed in disappointment
“Bets is right.,” said Fatty. “The squares in the pattern of ilie rubber sole are not quite so big as in my drawing. And I know my drawing is quite correct, because I measured everything carefully. I’m awfully good at things like that. I never make …”
“Shut up,” said Larry, who always felt cross when Faty began His boasting. “Bets, as you say, is quite right. Good for you, young Bets!”
Bets glowed with pleasure. She really had learnt that drawing off by heart, as she had said she would. But she was as disappointed as the others that Daisy had not found the right shoe after all.
“It’s awfully difficult being a Find-Outer, isn’t it?” said Bets. “We keep finding out things that aren’t much, help, or that make everything even more difficult. Pip, tell Larry and Daisy what the tramp said.”
“Oh yes - you must hear about that,” said Pip; and he
began to tell Larry and Daisy what had happened with the tramp.
“So now, you see, it’s a bigger puzzle than ever,” finished Pip. “The tramp saw Peeks all right, hiding in the bushes - but he heard him whispering to some one else! Was it old Mr. Smellie, do you think? You say that he went out for a walk that evening, and we know that Peeks was out at that time too. Do you suppose they planned the fire together?”
“They might have,” said Larry thoughtfully. “They must have known one another - and they might have got together that day and made up their minds to punish old Hiccup for his unkindness. However can we find out?”
“Perhaps we had better see Mr. Smellie again?” said Daisy. “Anyway, we must put back his shoe somehow. We can’t keep it. Any one seen Clear-Orf today?”
Nobody had, and nobody wanted to. The children talked over what they were to do next. At the moment everything seemed rather muddled and difficult. Although they had. ruled out Mrs. Minns and the tramp from their list of Suspects, it seemed impossible to know whether Peeks or Smellie, or both, had really done the crime.
“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to go and see Lily,” said Fatty suddenly. “She might tell us a few things about Horace Peeks. After all, she wrote him a letter to warn him She might know more than we think!”
“But Lily wasn’t
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