page there was, "Mysterious deaths in Holloway." Oswald thought there was something in it, and so did Albert's uncle when we asked him, but the others thought not, so Oswald agreed to drop it. Besides, Holloway is a long way off. All the time we were talking about the paper Alice seemed to be thinking about something else, and when we had done she said—
"I believe we might be detectives ourselves, but I should not like to get anybody into trouble."
"Not murderers or robbers?" Dicky asked.
"It wouldn't be murderers," she said; "but I have noticed something strange. Only I feel a little frightened. Let's ask Albert's uncle first."
Alice is a jolly sight too fond of asking grown-up people things. And we all said it was Tommy-rot, and she was to tell us.
"Well, promise you won't do anything without me," Alice said, and we promised. Then she said—
"This is a dark secret, and any one who thinks it is better not to be involved in a career of crime-discovery had better go away ere yet it be too late."
So Dora said she had had enough of tents,
