with me, in case your mother wants to know where you got it from. It'll be dark then and no one will see what I'm carrying."
Fatty cheered up very much when he found that there was something really exciting he could join in. He forgot His sulks, and discussed where to meet Larry.
"I shall climb over the wall at the bottom of the garden," said Larry, "But you. Fatty, had better go up the road in front of Mr. Smelie's house, and go into the drive there, and round to the back that way. Meet me somewhere at the back of the house. See ?"
"Right," said Fatty. "I'll hoot like an owl to tell you when I'm there."
"Can you hoot?" said Bets, in surprise.
"Yes, listen," said Fatty. He put His two thumbs side by side, frontways, and cupped his hands together. He blew carefully between his thumbs, and at once a mournful quavering hoot, just like an owl's, came from His closed hands. It was marvellous.
"Oh, you are clever, Fatty!" said Bets, in great admiration. Fatty blew again, and an owl's hoot sounded over the garden. He really was very good at it.
"Simply wonderful!" said Bets. Fatty opened His mouth to say that he could make much better bird and animal noises than that, but caught a look in Larry's eye that warned him in time to say nothing. He shut His mouth again hurriedly.
"Well," said Larry, that's settled then. You meet me at half-past nine behind Mr. Smellie's house, and hoot like an owl to tell me you're there. I shall probably be Md-ing in the bushes somewhere, waiting for you."
The children all felt excited as they went to bed that night. At least, Fatty didn't go to bed, though Larry did. But then Larry's mother usually came to tuck him up and say good night, and Fatty's didn't. So Fatty felt quite safe as he sat, fully-dressed, in His bedroom, reading a book to make the time pass.