The others were interested to hear about his telephone call and amused to hear about Clear-Orf going all suspicious about it.
“But I say, Fatty - I’m not sure you ought to have said anything about Peterswood,” said Larry, after thinking a little. “You may have put him on his guard, you know. I mean - if Mr. Smith is up to some sort of underhand game at Milton House, he’ll get a shock to find out that somebody apparently knows about him in Peterswood - where his house is!”
“Blow! - yes, I think you’re right,” said Fatty, thinking of the quiet, quick way in which the person he had spoken to had replaced his receiver when he had mentioned Peterswood. Milton House was on the outskirts of Peterswood. Yes - he might have put Mr. John Henry Smith on his guard.
“Well - if I’ve put him on his guard - he’ll probably come racing down to Peterswood to see if his precious secret room is all right,” said Fatty. “So we may have set things happening. We’ll keep a very, very strict eye on Milton House from now on. If Mr. Smith does come down, we’ll be able to see him and find out what he’s like.”
“We can’t watch at night,” said Larry doubtfully.
“I can,” said Fatty. “My mother would never know if I’m in bed or not.”
“But, Fatty - you’d never dare to go down to Milton House in the dark of night!” said Bets, horrified. “It’ll be so cold - and pitch dark - and simply awful.”
“It won’t be dark,” said Fatty. “The moon is nearly full. And I shan’t be cold. I spotted a sort of tumble-down summer-house there in the garden, and I can take a couple of thick rugs and make myself comfortable.”
The others stared at him in awe. Not one of them would have liked to go down to Milton House alone at night.
“I’m perfectly fearless,” said Fatty, basking in their admiration. “Why, when I was two years old, I went -”