“Well, I do then,” said Fatty. “Those are two of the things I’ve learnt already. And I could teach you a simple code, too, a secret code.”
This sounded exciting. Bets stared at Fatty with eyes wide.
“Teach us all those things,” she begged. “Oh, Fatty, I would so like to do invisible writing.”
“You have to learn the art of disguising yourself too.” said Fatty, enjoying the rapt attention of the others.
“What’s disguising?” asked Bets.
“Oh, dressing yourself up in such a way that people don’t know it’s you,” said Fatty. “Putting a wig on and perhaps a moustache or different eyebrows, wearing different clothes. For instance, I could disguise myself quite well as a butcher’s boy if I had a striped apron, and a knife or something hung down from my belt. If I wore an untidy black wig too, I bet none of you would know me.”
This was really too exciting for words. All the children loved dressing up and pretending. This business of “disguising” seemed a glorified dressing-up.
“Are you going to practise disguising yourself next term?” asked Bets.
“Well - no, not in term-time,” said Fatty, thinking that his form master would soon see through any disguise. “But I thought I might these hols.”
“Oh, Fatty! Can we too?” said Daisy. “Let’s all practise being proper detectives, in case another mystery crops up. We could do it much better then.”