Chapter 18 NOBODY KNOWS WHERE TO LOOK
'Let's go,' said George. 'We can't find out any more from the poor old woman. I'm glad that son ofhers has been arrested for thieving. At least he won't be here to knock her about any more!'
Mr. Gringle began to talk angrily again, but the Five had had enough. Timmy growled¹ and made himretreat.
'We're going, Mr. Gringle,' said Julian coldly. 'We shall be very glad to see the police, if you havereally sent them after us. Quite a lot has been going on here that you don't know anything about.
You've noticed nothing but your butterflies and moths².'
'Anything wrong in that, you uncivil boy?' shouted Mr. Gringle.
72
'Well, it would have been a good thing if you had noticed how that fellow Janes knocked his poormother about,' said Julian. 'I suppose you haven't even seen the bruised³ black eye she has thismorning? No? I thought not. Well, may be the police will be asking you a few questions soon - aboutthe four strangers that have been hiding in that little bedroom up there!'
'What? What's that you say? What do you mean?' stammered⁴ Mr. Gringle, astonished. 'Men?
Where from? Who?'
'I've no idea,' said Julian. 'I wish I had.' And then the Five walked off together, leaving a very puzzledand worried Mr. Gringle behind them.
'It serves him right,' said Julian. 'To think that he could make that miserable⁵ little woman slave forhim, and never even notice how frightened and unhappy she was - or even see that she had a blackeye from that scoundrel of a son. Let him get back to his butterflies!'
'What did Mrs. Janes mean - mumbling⁶ about men hidden in that room - four of them she said,'
wondered Anne. 'And why did they go and watch on the hill-side? What for? That must have beenone of them you saw that night of the storm, Julian - the one you spotted⁷ with the butterfly net, whosaid he was Mr. Brent. I suppose he pretended to be him, so that nobody would ask him why he wasprowling out there!'

分享到：