But William did not agree with them.
“I only want jus’ to look at him again an’ see what he’s doin’. I’m goin’, anyway.”
So they all went.
******
They had decided to creep down through the field behind the Red House to the road and thence through the hole in the hedge to the sheltering cluster of bushes that commanded the magician’s room, but they had not so far to go before they saw him. It was a fine afternoon and Mr. Galileo Simpkins had taken his detective novel and gone into the field just behind his house. And there he was when the Outlaws stopped at the gate of the field, lying on the bank in the shade, reading. He was feeling at peace with all the world. He did not see the five faces that gazed at him over the gate of the field and then disappeared. He went on dozing happily over his novel. He’d had a very happy morning. Though none of his experiments had come out still he’d much enjoyed doing them. He’d thought once of that boy with the impertinent face and felt glad that he’d frightened him away so successfully. He’d seen no signs of him since. That was what you had to do with boys—scare them off, or you got no peace at all.... Very nice warm sun ... very exciting novel....
Meanwhile the Outlaws crept past the field and were standing talking excitedly in the road.
“Did you see?” gasped Ginger, “jus’ sittin’ an’ readin’ ornery jus’ as if he hadn’t been stickin’ pins into me all last night.”
“Let’s go home,” pleaded Joan. “You—you don’t know what he’ll do.”
“No,” said William, “now he’s all right readin’ in that field let’s go into his room an’ look at his things.”
There was a murmur of dissent.