At two o'clock sharp the Five Find-Outers and Dog met together in Pip's big garden. Pip was waiting for them, and he led them to the old summer-house.
"This had better be our headquarters," he said. "We shall keep wanting to meet and discuss things., I expect. It's a good place for that because it's at the bottom of the garden, and nobody can overhear us."
They all sat down on the wooden bench that ran round the old summer-house. Buster jumped up on to Larry's knees. Larry liked that. Fatty didn't seem to mind.
"Now," said Larry, "as I'm the head of us I'd better start things going. I'll just go over what we all know, and then we'll discuss what we should do."
"I do think this is exciting," said Bets, who was very much enjoying being one of the Big Ones.
"Don't interrupt. Bets," said Pip. Bets made her face solemn and sat still and straight.
"Well, we all know that Mr. Hick's cottage workroom, which stands at the end of his garden, was burnt down last night," said Larry. "Mr. Hick was not there till the end, because his chauffeur had gone to meet him off the London train. The insurance people say that petrol was used to start the fire, so some one must have done it on purpose. The Find-Outers have made up their minds that they will find out who has done this crime. Is that right?"
"Quite right, and very well put," said Pip, at once. Buster wagged his tail hard. Fatty opened his mouth and began to speak in his high, affected voice.
"Well, I suggest that the first thing we do is to..." But Larry interrupted him at once.
"I'm doing the talking, Fatty, not you," he said. "Shut up!"