Mystery of Holly Lane
Enid Blyton
language
(, March 11, 2012)
Enid Blyton - Mystery 11 - Mystery of Holly LaneMystery11 — Mystery of Holly Lane, The - Blyton, EnidOff to Meet Fatty."Bets — don't gobble your porridge like that!" said Mrs. Hilton. "There's nohurry, surely!""Well, there is, Mother," said Bets. "I've got to go and meet Fatty's trainthis morning. Have you forgotten that he's coming home today?""But he's not arriving till the middle of the morning, is he?" said hermother. "There's plenty of time. Please don't gobble like that.""I expect Bets wants to go and lay a red carpet down for Fatty, and get a bandto play to welcome him," said her brother Pip, with a grin. "That's whatyou're in a hurry about, aren't you, Bets? Got to go and round up the band andsee that all their instruments are polished!""Don't be so silly," said Bets, crossly, and tried to kick him under thetable. He dodged his legs out of the way and she kicked her father's ankleinstead. He put down his paper and glared."Oh, Dad — I'm sorry!" said Bets. "Please I'm very sorry. I meant to kick Pip.You see...""Any more of this kind of behaviour at breakfast-time and you can both go outof the room," said Mr. Hilton, and raised his paper again, leaning it againstthe big milk-jug. There was a dead silence for a minute or two except for thesound of spoons in the porridge bowls."Are you both going to meet Fatty?" asked Mrs. Hilton at last."Yes," said Bets, glad to have the silence broken. "But I want to go round andcollect Buster first Fatty asked me to. That's why I'm in a hurry.""I suppose you're going to give old Buster a bath, and then dry him, and thenbrush him, and then tie a red ribbon round his neck," said Pip. "Well, well —that will take half the morning, certainly. Are you going to wear your bestdress to meet Fatty, Bets?""I think you're horrid this morning," said Bets, almost in tears. "I shouldhave thought you'd be pleased to meet Fatty, too. It's maddening that hisschool should have broken up after Easter, instead of before, like ours did.It means we'll go back before he does."Pip stopped teasing Bets. "Yes, it's a silly idea, some schools breaking upbefore Easter and some after. I'm coming to meet Fatty too, of course, andI'll go and collect Buster with you. I'll even help you to bath him.""I wasn't going to bath him," said Bets. "You know I wasn't. Pip — do yousuppose Fatty will be in disguise — just to have a joke with us?""I hope to goodness you are not going to get mixed up in any nonsense again