The Secret Seven have a fantastic new hiding place but someone else is using it at night and it's Jack's little sister Susie who helps them catch the intruder.
Next morning Peter and Janet began preparing for the meeting. Meetings weren't proper meetings, somehow, unless there was plenty to eat and drink while they talked. Their mother was always generous in giving cakes or biscuits, and lemonade, and the two children went to find her.
'She's out,' said the cook, looking up from chopping parsley on a board. 'She told me to tell you she would be back presently. You were at the bottom of the garden, and didn't hear her calling you.'
'Oh, blow!' said Peter. 'We're going to have a Secret Seven meeting, and we wanted something to eat and drink.'
'Well now, let me see, you can have that tin of ginger biscuits, they've gone soft,' said Cookie, smiling. 'And you can make yourself some real lemonade, there are plenty of lemons and sugar in the larder.'
'Ooh good!' said Janet. I'll do that. I'll make it with hot water, and let it go cool. Anything else we can have?'
'Jam-tarts,' said Cookie, chopping away hard at the parsley. 'Only four though, I'm afraid. That's all that were left from supper last night.'
'Four, well, we'll halve them,' said Peter. 'There'll be one half over, so ...'
'Woof! woof!' said Scamper, at once. The children laughed.
'All right, you shall have the half left over,' said Peter. 'You never miss a word of what we say, do you, Scamper?'
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'Come on, Janet,' he said. 'It's nearly half past ten.'
'Peter, please do tell me the password!' said Janet. Tm very, very sorry I've forgotten it.'
'No. I shan't tell you,' said Peter. 'You'll have to be in the shed, anyhow, and you can jolly well listen to the others coming along and saying the password, and feel ashamed of yourself.'
'You're mean!' said Janet. 'Isn't he mean, Scamper?'
Scamper didn't answer. 'There,' said Peter, 'he won't say I'm mean. He never will. Do come on, Janet. I'm not going to wait a minute longer.'
Janet was ready. She put the jug of lemonade and seven unbreakable mugs on an old tray and followed Peter out of the kitchen. 'Thanks very much for your help, Cookie!' she said, as she went carefully down the steps outside the kitchen door.
Peter was ahead of her. He went along the path that wound between the bushes right down to the bottom of the garden, where the old shed stood that they used for their meetings. On the door was always pinned the sign 'S.S.' How many, many times the Secret Seven had met there and made exciting plans!
Janet followed a little way behind, carrying her tray carefully. She suddenly heard Peter give a startled shout, and almost dropped the tray she held.
'What's the matter?' she called, and tried to hurry. She came in sight of the shed and stared in horror.
The door was wide open, and so were the windows. Everything had been turned out of the shed! There were boxes and cushions and sacks, all strewn on the ground in untidy heaps! Whatever had happened?
