me when he hears there's another note,
left under our noses—me watching and all!"
Mr. Goon came in, whistling softly. "Pleased with
himself!" said Ern, looking at Fatty. Goon walked into the kitchen,
calling to Mrs. Hicks.
"A cup of tea, please, Mrs. Hicks. Hallo—you here. Master
Frederick? And why aren't you watching at your window, Ern?"
"Er—well, Mrs. Hicks found another note, Uncle," said
Ern, warily. "And she screamed, and me and Fatty, we shot down to see what
was the matter."
"Well—there won't be any more notes," said Goon.
"Not as soon as the writer of them hears that old Smith has gone from Fairlin
Hall. I sent him packing!"
"But why, Mr. Goon?" asked Fatty, troubled to think that
poor old Mrs. Smith should have had to turn out with her sick husband.
"Come into the office," said Goon, who was looking very
pleased with himself. "Do you good, Master Fred-crick, to hear how the
police can get to work and settle things." Fatty and Ern followed him,
leaving Mrs. Hicks alone in the kitchen, looking annoyed at being left out.
"Sit down," ordered Goon, and Ern and Fatty obediently
sat down. Goon leaned back and put his finger-tips together, looking at the two
boys in a most irritating way.
"Well, acting on information received, I went round to
Fairlin Hall—you probably don't know, but it was once called The Ivies,"
began Goon. "And there I found this fellow Smith, talked about in those
notes. His wife was most obstructive—said he was ill, and I wasn't to disturb
him—such nerve to tell me that," frowned Goon.
"Well, I soon told her I wasn't standing any nonsense, and
pushed her aside..."
"Not really pushed}" said Fatty, horrified to
think of the gentle old lady being roughly handled by the big policeman.
"Well, shoved, if you want a better word," grinned Goon.
"And there was Smith, in bed— pretending to be ill, of course. Well,
I made him get out—couldn't let him get away with a lot of humbug like that—and
I said to him, 'Now then! What are you masquerading round under a false name
for? You tell me that I ' "
There was a pause, presumably for Ern and Fatty to exclaim in
admiration of Goon's behaviour with the Smiths. As neither of them said a word,
he went on, not at all taken aback.
"Well, the old woman got hold of my arm, and began to sob—all
put on, of course. She said their name wasn't Smith, it was Canley—and that
rang a bell with me, that did! Canley! He was a bad lot, he was—he sold
the secrets of a new war-plane of ours to the enemy, and he went to jail for
years. Ha—and when he came out, he had to report to the police every so often,
but he didn't—he just took a false name and disappeared! Helped by that wife of
his, of course. She waited for him all the time he was in jail."
"So that was what the word 'secrets" meant, in that note," said Fatty, quite disgusted with Goon's
hardhearted narrative. "Smith—or Canley—would react to that word at once,
be afraid—and pack up and go."
"That's right," said Goon. "And that's just what I
told him to do—pack up and go! Can't have a man like that in a responsible
position as caretaker."
"But he was ill." said Fatty, "and his wife is old.
Poor things."
"I’ll! No, he was putting that on," snorted Goon.
"He might deceive you, but he couldn't deceive me. I told him he's
got to report to me here tomorrow morning.
then we'll go into all this Then I left. Now we know what all
those notes meant'"
"We don't," said Fatty, shaking his head "All we
know is that someone had a spite against old Smith and wanted him out of Fairlin
Hall. We don't know what the real reason was There must be some reason!"
"You'll wear your brains out, you will," said Goon
"There's no mystery left, so don't pretend there is Think yourself lucky
that I've told you the end of it—fiddling about with Ivies and Smiths and
Secrets. It's all plain as the nose on your face I've settled it'"
He turned to Ern. "You can go home, Ern. There's no more
watching to do.
left under our noses—me watching and all!"
Mr. Goon came in, whistling softly. "Pleased with
himself!" said Ern, looking at Fatty. Goon walked into the kitchen,
calling to Mrs. Hicks.
"A cup of tea, please, Mrs. Hicks. Hallo—you here. Master
Frederick? And why aren't you watching at your window, Ern?"
"Er—well, Mrs. Hicks found another note, Uncle," said
Ern, warily. "And she screamed, and me and Fatty, we shot down to see what
was the matter."
"Well—there won't be any more notes," said Goon.
"Not as soon as the writer of them hears that old Smith has gone from Fairlin
Hall. I sent him packing!"
"But why, Mr. Goon?" asked Fatty, troubled to think that
poor old Mrs. Smith should have had to turn out with her sick husband.
"Come into the office," said Goon, who was looking very
pleased with himself. "Do you good, Master Fred-crick, to hear how the
police can get to work and settle things." Fatty and Ern followed him,
leaving Mrs. Hicks alone in the kitchen, looking annoyed at being left out.
"Sit down," ordered Goon, and Ern and Fatty obediently
sat down. Goon leaned back and put his finger-tips together, looking at the two
boys in a most irritating way.
"Well, acting on information received, I went round to
Fairlin Hall—you probably don't know, but it was once called The Ivies,"
began Goon. "And there I found this fellow Smith, talked about in those
notes. His wife was most obstructive—said he was ill, and I wasn't to disturb
him—such nerve to tell me that," frowned Goon.
"Well, I soon told her I wasn't standing any nonsense, and
pushed her aside..."
"Not really pushed}" said Fatty, horrified to
think of the gentle old lady being roughly handled by the big policeman.
"Well, shoved, if you want a better word," grinned Goon.
"And there was Smith, in bed— pretending to be ill, of course. Well,
I made him get out—couldn't let him get away with a lot of humbug like that—and
I said to him, 'Now then! What are you masquerading round under a false name
for? You tell me that I ' "
There was a pause, presumably for Ern and Fatty to exclaim in
admiration of Goon's behaviour with the Smiths. As neither of them said a word,
he went on, not at all taken aback.
"Well, the old woman got hold of my arm, and began to sob—all
put on, of course. She said their name wasn't Smith, it was Canley—and that
rang a bell with me, that did! Canley! He was a bad lot, he was—he sold
the secrets of a new war-plane of ours to the enemy, and he went to jail for
years. Ha—and when he came out, he had to report to the police every so often,
but he didn't—he just took a false name and disappeared! Helped by that wife of
his, of course. She waited for him all the time he was in jail."
"So that was what the word 'secrets" meant, in that note," said Fatty, quite disgusted with Goon's
hardhearted narrative. "Smith—or Canley—would react to that word at once,
be afraid—and pack up and go."
"That's right," said Goon. "And that's just what I
told him to do—pack up and go! Can't have a man like that in a responsible
position as caretaker."
"But he was ill." said Fatty, "and his wife is old.
Poor things."
"I’ll! No, he was putting that on," snorted Goon.
"He might deceive you, but he couldn't deceive me. I told him he's
got to report to me here tomorrow morning.
then we'll go into all this Then I left. Now we know what all
those notes meant'"
"We don't," said Fatty, shaking his head "All we
know is that someone had a spite against old Smith and wanted him out of Fairlin
Hall. We don't know what the real reason was There must be some reason!"
"You'll wear your brains out, you will," said Goon
"There's no mystery left, so don't pretend there is Think yourself lucky
that I've told you the end of it—fiddling about with Ivies and Smiths and
Secrets. It's all plain as the nose on your face I've settled it'"
He turned to Ern. "You can go home, Ern. There's no more
watching to do.
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