Secret Seven #1 ch5

CHAPTER FIVE Exciting Plans Next morning Janet went down to the shed by herself. Peter was brushing Scamper. He was well and truly brushed every single morning, so it was no wonder his coat shone so beautifully. 제 5장 흥미로운 계획 다음 날, 제넛은 혼자 창고로 내려갔다. 피터는 스캠퍼의 털을 빗고 있었다. 매일 아침 확실히 빗겨져서 그런지, 그의 털이 아름답게 빛나는 것도 놀랍지 않았다. ‘Just open the shed and give it an airing,’ ordered Peter. ‘We shan’t be using it today. There won’t be any meeting yet.’ ‘그냥 창고 문 열어서 통풍 좀 시켜,’ 피터가 명령했다. ‘오늘은 사용하지 않을 거야. 아직 회의가 없을 테니까.’ Janet skipped down the path, humming. She took the key from its hiding-place—a little ledge beneath the roof of the shed—and slipped it into the lock. She opened the door. 제넛은 노래를 흥얼거리며 길을 따라 걸어갔다. 그녀는 창고 지붕 아래 작은 선반에 숨겨둔 곳에서 열쇠를 꺼내고 자물쇠 속에 열쇠를 밀어 넣었다. 문을 열었다. The shed smelt rather stuffy. She left the door open and went to open the little window too. When she turned round she saw Jack’s note on the floor. 창고는 다소 답답한 냄새가 났다. 그녀는 문을 열어두고 작은 창문도 열러 갔다. 돌아서려고 할 때, 그녀는 잭의 쪽지가 바닥에 떨어져 있는 것을 보았다. At first she thought it was an odd piece of waste paper, and she picked it up and crumpled it, meaning to throw it away. Then she caught sight of a word on the outside of the folded paper. 처음에는 이상한 종이 조각인 줄 알았고, 버리려고 그것을 집어 들어서 구겨 버렸다. 그런 다음 접혀진 종이의 바깥쪽에 적힌 한 마디를 보았다. ‘URGENT. VERY IMPORTANT INDEED.’ She was astonished. She opened the paper out and glanced down it. Her mouth fell open in amazement. She raced out of the shed at top speed, yelling for Peter. ‘긴급. 정말 중요해.’ 그녀는 깜짝 놀라서 종이를 펼치고 슬쩍 훓어 보았다. 그녀의 입은 놀람에 벌어졌다. 그녀는 피터를 소리쳐 부르면서 최고 속도로 창고를 뛰쳐나갔다. ‘Peter! PETER! Where are you? Something’s happened, quick!’ Her mother heard her and called to her. ‘Janet, Janet, what’s the matter, dear? What’s happened?’ ‘피터! 피터! 어디 있어? 뭔가 일어났어, 빨리 와봐!’ 그녀의 어머니는 그 소리를 듣고 그녀에게 소리쳤다. ‘제넛, 제넛, 무슨 일이니? 얘야. 무슨 일이 있었니?' ‘Oh—nothing, Mummy,’ called back Janet, suddenly remembering that this was Secret Society business. ‘오, 아무것도 아니에요, 엄마,’ 제넛이 대답했다. 갑자기 이게 비밀 모임의 일이라는 것을 기억한 것이다.

‘Well, why are you screeching for Peter like that?’ said her mother. ‘You made me jump.’ Janet flew up the stairs to where Peter was still brushing Scamper. ‘Peter! Didn’t you hear me calling? I tell you, something’s happened!’ ‘What is it?’ asked Peter, surprised. ‘Look—I found this paper when I went to the shed this morning,’ said Janet, and she gave him Jack’s note. ‘It’s marked “Urgent, Very Important Indeed”. Look what it says inside.’ [Illustration] Peter read out loud what Jack had written: _Peter, call a meeting of the Secret Seven at once. Very important Mystery to solve. It happened to me last night about half-past nine. Get the others together at ten if you can. I’ll be there._ _Jack._ ‘What on _earth_ does he mean?’ said Peter, in wonder. ‘Something happened to _him_ last night? Well, why is it such mystery then? I expect he’s exaggerating.’ ‘He’s not, he’s not. I’m sure he’s not,’ cried Janet, dancing from one foot to another in her excitement. ‘Jack doesn’t exaggerate, you know he doesn’t. Shall I go and tell the others to come at ten if they can? Peter, it’s exciting. It’s a mystery!’ ‘You wait and see what the mystery is before you get all worked up,’ said Peter, who, however, was beginning to feel rather thrilled himself. ‘I’ll go and tell Colin and George—you can tell the girls.’

Janet sped off in one direction and Peter in another. How lovely to have to call a Meeting already—and about something so exciting too. It was about half-past nine when the two came back. Everyone had promised to come. They were all very anxious to know what Jack had got to say. ‘Remember your badges,’ Janet said to the two girls. ‘You won’t be admitted to an important Meeting like this unless you know the password and have your badge.’ Everyone turned up early, eager to hear the news. Everyone remembered the password, too. ‘Week-days!’ and the door was opened and shut. ‘Week-days,’ and once more the door was opened and shut. Member after member passed in, wearing the badge and murmuring the password. Both Colin and George had their badges this morning. George had found his and Colin’s mother had already made him one. Jack was the last of all to arrive, which was most annoying because everyone was dying to hear what he had to say. But he came at last. ‘Week-days,’ said his voice softly, outside the shed door. It opened and he went in. Everyone looked at him expectantly. ‘We got your note, and warned all the members to attend this Meeting,’ said Peter. ‘What’s up, Jack? Is it really important?’ ‘Well, you listen and see,’ said Jack, and he sat down on the box left empty for him. ‘It happened last night.’

He began to tell his story—how he had missed his badge and felt certain he had dropped it in the field where the snowmen were—how he had slipped out with his torch to find it, and what he had heard and seen from the field. [Illustration] ‘That frightful noise—the snorting and the horrid squeal!’ he said. ‘It nearly made my hair stand on end. Why did those men come down that lane late at night? It doesn’t lead anywhere. It stops a little further on just by a great holly hedge. And what could that thing be that they were towing behind?’ ‘Was it a cage, or something—or was it a closed van where somebody was being kept prisoner?’ said Barbara, in a half-whisper. ‘It wasn’t a cage as far as I could see,’ said Jack. ‘I couldn’t even see any windows to it. It was more like a small removal van than anything—but whatever was inside wasn’t furniture. I tell you it snorted and squealed and struggled.’ ‘Was it a man inside, do you think?’ asked Pam, her eyes wide with interest and excitement. ‘No. I don’t think so. It might have been, of course,’ said Jack. ‘But a man doesn’t snort like that. Unless he had a gag over his mouth, perhaps.’ This was a new thought and rather an alarming one. Nobody spoke for a minute. ‘Well,’ said Jack, at last, ‘it certainly is something for the Secret Seven to look into. There’s no doubt about that. It’s all very mysterious—very mysterious indeed.’ ‘How are we going to tackle it?’ said George.

They all sat and thought. ‘We had better find out if we can tell anything by the tracks in the snow,’ said Peter. ‘We’ll find out too if there are car-tracks up the drive to that old house.’ ‘Yes. And we could ask the old caretaker if he heard anything last night,’ said Colin. ‘Bags I don’t do that,’ said Pam at once. ‘I’d just hate to go and ask him questions.’ ‘Well, somebody’s got to,’ said George. ‘It might be important.’ ‘And we might try and find out who owns the old empty house,’ said Colin. ‘Yes,’ said Peter. ‘Well, let’s split up the inquiries. Pam, you go with George to see if you can find out who owns the house.’ ‘How do we find out?’ asked Pam. ‘You will have to use your common sense,’ said Peter. ‘I can’t decide _every_thing. Janet, you and Barbara can go down the lane and examine it for car-tracks and anything else you can think of.’ ‘Right,’ said Janet, glad that she hadn’t got to question the caretaker. ‘And I and Colin and Jack will go into the drive of the old house and see if we can get the caretaker to tell us anything,’ said Peter, feeling rather important as he made all these arrangements. ‘What’s Scamper to do?’ asked Janet. ‘He’s going to come with _us_,’ said Peter. ‘In case the caretaker turns nasty! Old Scamper can turn nasty too, if he has to!’ ‘Oh, yes—that’s a good idea, to take Scamper,’ agreed Jack, relieved at the thought of having the dog with him. ‘Well—shall we set off?’ ‘Yes. Meet and report here this afternoon,’ said Peter. ‘You’ve discovered a most exciting mystery, Jack, and it’s up to the Secret Seven to solve it as soon as they can!’