All the children noticed this immediately. Daisy's heart began to beat fast. Could they have found the right person at last?
"What you doing here?" asked Horace Peeks.
"We came to ask for a drink of water," said Larry, wondering if he could possibly edge round Horace to see if there was a tear in his grey coat anywhere!
"And we found out that we come from the same place that you lived in only a little while ago," said Daisy brightly. "We live at Peterswood."
"That's where I worked," said Horace. "Do you know that bad-tempered old Mr. Hick? I worked for him, but nothing was ever right. Nasty old man."
"We don't like him very much ourselves," said Pip. "Did you know there was a fire at His place the day you left?"
"How do you know what day I left?" asked Mr. Peeks, astonished.
"Oh, we just mentioned the fire to your mother and she said it must have been the day you left, because you didn't know anything about it," said Pip.
"Well, all I can say is that Mr. Hick deserved to have his whole place burnt down, the mean, stingy, bad-tempered old fish!" said Horace. "I'd like to have seen it!"
The children looked at him, wondering if he was pretending or not. "Weren't you there, then?" asked Daisy, in an innocent voice.