if you are in disguise, you'll be a stranger to the men, and they'll want to know who you are."
"I shan't be a stranger to them," said Fatty, exasperatingly. "Nor to you, either."
The others stared at him. "What do you mean?" said Pip at last. "What are you getting at?"
"I shall be somebody the gang have seen often enough before, if they have held their other meetings in the Waxworks Hall. They'll know me so well they won't even look at me!"
"What do you mean?" said Daisy, getting annoyed. "Don't talk in these silly riddles."
"Well," said Fatty, and he lowered his voice to a mysterious whisper, "well — I shall be disguised as one of the waxworks, silly I Napoleon, I think, because I'm
pretty plump, and so was he!"
There was a complete silence. All the Find-Outers stared at Fatty in the greatest admiration. What an idea! No member of the gang would suspect any of the waxwork figures! Bets could just imagine Fatty standing stiff and straight as the waxwork Napoleon, staring fixedly in front of him — seeing and hearing everything.
"What a really marvellous idea!" said Larry, at last. "Oh, Fatty — I should never have thought of that if I’d thought for a month. You'll be right in the lions' den — and they won't even smell you!"
"It is rather a good idea, isn't it?" said Fatty, swelling up a little. "That's one thing about me, you know — I've always got plenty of ideas. My form-master said only last term that my imagination was..."
But the others didn't in the least want to hear what Fatty's form-master had said. They wanted to talk about Tuesday night and what Fatty was going to do.
Tuesday night! Bets thrilled every time she thought of it. This Mystery was really getting too exciting for words. Oooh — Tuesday night!
A Very Bold Idea .
That week-end dragged along very slowly indeed. Tuesday was such a long time in coming! The only thing that enlivened it at all was that on the two or three occasions when the children met Mr. Goon, Fatty had his hooter tucked under his coat, and sounded it as soon as they passed the policeman. This made h im jump, and he looked round in hope
of seeing the cyclist who had once stopped and spoken to the old man. But he never did, of course. He hailed the children suspiciously the third time it happened.
"Did you hear that hooter?" he asked. They all nodded vigorously.
"Did you see a bike going by then?" said the policeman.
"A bike? All by itself with a hooter?" asked Pip, and the others grinned.
"Gab.!" said Mr. Goon, enranged as usual. "You clear-orf! I wouldn't put it past you to carry one of them hooters about, just to annoy me, like !”
"He's getting quite bright, isn't he?" said Larry, as they walked off. "I shouldn't be surprised if he does get promotion one of these days. He's really trying to use those brains of his a bit. We'd better not hoot any more when we pass him. He's quite likely to go and complain about us if we do — and ever since he went up to my house and asked for me the other day, Mother's been warning me not to get into trouble."
Fatty was preparing himself very earnestly for Tuesday night. He knew how important it was, and he also knew that, unless all his details were absolutely perfect, he might be in considerable danger.
He and the others spent a long time in the Waxworks, much to the surprise of the red-headed boy, for it was very hot in there, and not many people visited the little hall these blazing days.
But Fatty had to study the figure of Napoleon very carefully indeed. He meant to get into the hall somehow on Tuesday evening, and dress himself up in Napoleon's clothes. Would they fit him? He asked Daisy what she thought.
"Yes, I should think they'd fit you very well," she said, considering first Napoleon and then Fatty. "You had better take a few safety-pins in case something doesn't quite meet. The hat will be fine — just your size, I should think. What about hair, Fatty?"
"I can manage that all right," said Fatty. "I rather
"I shan't be a stranger to them," said Fatty, exasperatingly. "Nor to you, either."
The others stared at him. "What do you mean?" said Pip at last. "What are you getting at?"
"I shall be somebody the gang have seen often enough before, if they have held their other meetings in the Waxworks Hall. They'll know me so well they won't even look at me!"
"What do you mean?" said Daisy, getting annoyed. "Don't talk in these silly riddles."
"Well," said Fatty, and he lowered his voice to a mysterious whisper, "well — I shall be disguised as one of the waxworks, silly I Napoleon, I think, because I'm
pretty plump, and so was he!"
There was a complete silence. All the Find-Outers stared at Fatty in the greatest admiration. What an idea! No member of the gang would suspect any of the waxwork figures! Bets could just imagine Fatty standing stiff and straight as the waxwork Napoleon, staring fixedly in front of him — seeing and hearing everything.
"What a really marvellous idea!" said Larry, at last. "Oh, Fatty — I should never have thought of that if I’d thought for a month. You'll be right in the lions' den — and they won't even smell you!"
"It is rather a good idea, isn't it?" said Fatty, swelling up a little. "That's one thing about me, you know — I've always got plenty of ideas. My form-master said only last term that my imagination was..."
But the others didn't in the least want to hear what Fatty's form-master had said. They wanted to talk about Tuesday night and what Fatty was going to do.
Tuesday night! Bets thrilled every time she thought of it. This Mystery was really getting too exciting for words. Oooh — Tuesday night!
A Very Bold Idea .
That week-end dragged along very slowly indeed. Tuesday was such a long time in coming! The only thing that enlivened it at all was that on the two or three occasions when the children met Mr. Goon, Fatty had his hooter tucked under his coat, and sounded it as soon as they passed the policeman. This made h im jump, and he looked round in hope
of seeing the cyclist who had once stopped and spoken to the old man. But he never did, of course. He hailed the children suspiciously the third time it happened.
"Did you hear that hooter?" he asked. They all nodded vigorously.
"Did you see a bike going by then?" said the policeman.
"A bike? All by itself with a hooter?" asked Pip, and the others grinned.
"Gab.!" said Mr. Goon, enranged as usual. "You clear-orf! I wouldn't put it past you to carry one of them hooters about, just to annoy me, like !”
"He's getting quite bright, isn't he?" said Larry, as they walked off. "I shouldn't be surprised if he does get promotion one of these days. He's really trying to use those brains of his a bit. We'd better not hoot any more when we pass him. He's quite likely to go and complain about us if we do — and ever since he went up to my house and asked for me the other day, Mother's been warning me not to get into trouble."
Fatty was preparing himself very earnestly for Tuesday night. He knew how important it was, and he also knew that, unless all his details were absolutely perfect, he might be in considerable danger.
He and the others spent a long time in the Waxworks, much to the surprise of the red-headed boy, for it was very hot in there, and not many people visited the little hall these blazing days.
But Fatty had to study the figure of Napoleon very carefully indeed. He meant to get into the hall somehow on Tuesday evening, and dress himself up in Napoleon's clothes. Would they fit him? He asked Daisy what she thought.
"Yes, I should think they'd fit you very well," she said, considering first Napoleon and then Fatty. "You had better take a few safety-pins in case something doesn't quite meet. The hat will be fine — just your size, I should think. What about hair, Fatty?"
"I can manage that all right," said Fatty. "I rather
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