"Hope they're insured, sir," said a man near by. Mr. Hick turned to him wildly.
"Yes — yes, they're insured — but money won't repay me for losing them!"
Bets did not know what being insured was. Larry told her quickly. "If you have anything valuable that you are afraid might be stolen or burnt, you pay a small sum of money to an insurance company each year — and then if it does happen to be destroyed, the company will pay you the whole cost of your valuable belongings."
"I see," said Bets. She stared at Mr. Hick. He still seemed very upset indeed. She thought he was a funny looking man.
He was tall and stooping, and had a tuft of hair that stuck out in front. He had a long nose, and eyes hidden behind big spectacles. Bets didn't much like him.
"Clear all these people away" said Mr. Hick, looking at the villagers and the children."I don't want my garden trampled down all night long. There's nothing any one can do now."
"Right, sir," said Mr. Goon, pleased at being able to "clear orf" so many people at once. He began to walk towards the watching people.
"Clear orf," he said. "Nothing to be done now. Clear orf, you children. Clear orf, every one."
The flames of the cottage were burning low now. The fire would burn itself outs and that would be the end. The children suddenly felt sleepy after their excitement, and their eyes smarted with the smoke.
"Pooh! My clothes do smell of smoke," said Larry, disgusted, "dime on — let's get back home. I wonder if Mummy and Daddy are back yet."
Larry and Daisy walked up the lane with Pip and Bets. Behind them, whistling walked the boy with the dog. He caught them up.
"That was a real thrill, wasn't it?" he said. "Good thing no one was hurt. I say, what about meeting tomorrow, having a game or something? I'm all alone at that hotel opposite Mr. Hick's garden — my mother and father are out golfing all day."
"Well — " said Larry, who didn't particularly like the look of the boy, "Well — if we are anywhere about, we'll pick you up."
"Right," said the boy. "Come on, Buster. Home, boy!"
The little Seattle, who had been circling round the children's legs, ran to the boy. They disappeared into the darkness.
"Conceited fat creature!" said Daisy, speaking of the boy. "Why should he think we want to know him? I say, let's all meet in your drive tomorrow, Pip, and go down to see what's left of the cottage, shall we?"
"Right," said Pip, turning in at his drive with Bets. "Come on, Bets. I believe you are nearly asleep!"
Larry and Daisy went on up the lane to their own home. They yawned. "Poor Mr. Hick!" said Daisy. "Wasn't he upset about his precious old papers!"
The Five Find-outers — and Dog
The next day Larry and Daisy went to see if Pip and Bets were anywhere about. They could hear them playing in the garden and they shouted to them. "Pip! Bets! We're here!"
Pip appeared, followed by the much smaller Bets, panting behind him.
"Seen the burnt-up cottage this morning?" asked Larry.
"Yes. And I say, what do you think — they say somebody burnt it down on purpose — that it wasn't an accident after all!" said Pip, excited.
"On purpose!" said Larry and Daisy. "But whoever would do a thing like that!"
"Don't know," said Pip, "I overheard somebody talking about it. They said that the insurance people had been down already, and some fire expert they brought with them said that petrol had been used to start up the fire. They've got some way of finding out these things, you know."
"Golly!" said Larry. "But who would do it? Somebody that didn't like Mr. Hick, I suppose?"
"Yes," said Pip. "I bet old Clear-Orf is excited to have a real crime to find out about. But he's so stupid he'll never find out a thing!"
"Look — there's that dog again," said Bets, pointing to the little black Scottie appearing in the garden. He stood sturdily on His squat legs, his ears cocked, looking up at them as if to say "Mind me being here?"
"Hallo, Buster!" said Larry, bending down and patting his knee to make the dog come to him. "You're a nice dog, you are. I wish you were mine. Daisy and I have never had a dog."
"Nor have I," said Pip. "Here, Buster! Bone, Buster? Biscuit, Buster?"
"Woof," said Buster, in a surprisingly deep voice for such a small dog.
"You must get him a bone and a biscuit," said Bets. "He's trusting you and believing you, Pip. Go and get them for him."
Pip went off, with the squat little Scottie trotting beside him trustingly.
Soon they were back, Buster carrying a bone and a big biscuit in His mouth. He set them down on the ground and looked inquiringly at Pip.
"Yes, they're for you, old chap," said Pip. "He's not a bit of a greedy dog, is he? He waits to be told before he begins!"
Buster crunched up the bone and then swallowed the biscuit. They seemed to fill him with joy and he began to caper round and about the children, inviting them to chase him. They all thought him a wonderful little dog.
"It's a pity he has such a silly fat sausage for a master," said Larry. Every one giggled. The dog's young master did look rather sausagey and fat Just as they were chuckling, they heard the sound of foot-steps and saw Buster's master coming to join them.
"Hallo," he said. "I thought I heard you playing with Buster. Buster, what do you mean by running off like that! Come here, sir!"
Buster bounced over to him in delight. It was quite plain that he adored the plump boy who owned him.
"Heard the news?" asked the boy, patting Buster. "About some one having fired that workroom on purpose?"
"Yes," said Larry. "Pip told us. Do you believe it?"
"Rather!" said the boy. "As a matter of fact, I suspected it before any one else did."
"Fibber!" said Larry at once, knowing by the conceited tone of the boy's voice that he hadn't suspected anything of the sort.
"Well, look here," said the boy. "I've been staying in the hotel opposite Mr. Hick's garden — and last evening I saw a tramp wandering about there! I bet he did it!"
The others stared at him. "Why should he do it?" asked Pip at last. "Tramps don't go in and pour petrol over things and set them on fire just for fun."
"Well," said the boy, thinking hard, "this tramp may have had a spite against Mr. Hick. You can't tell. Mr. Hick hasn't got a very good name about here for being good-tempered. He may have kicked the old tramp out of the place, or something, that very morning!"
The others thought about this. "Let's go into the summer-house and talk," said Pip, feeling excited. "This is a sort of mystery, and it would be fun if we could help to solve it."
The boy with Buster walked into the summer-house too, without being asked. Buster scrambled on to Larry's knee. Larry looked pleased.
"What time did you see the tramp?" asked Pip.
"About six o'clock" said the boy."A dirty old fellow he was too, in a torn mackintosh, and a frightful old hat He was skulking along the hedge. Buster saw him and tore out, barking."
"Did you notice if he had a tin of petrol in his hand?" asked Larry.
"No, he hadn't," said the boy. "He'd got a stick of some sort. That's all."
"I say," said Daisy suddenly. "I say! I've got an idea!"
They all looked at her. Daisy was a great one for ideas, and usually she had good ones.
"What's the idea this time?" asked Larry.
"We'll be detectives!" said Daisy. "We'll set ourselves to find out 'WHO BURNT THE COTTAGE."
"What's a detective?" asked eight-year-old Bets.