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the
beginning."
    "It beats me. It really does," said Ern. "I
say—fancy you putting in that bit about The Ivies, too—and the ivy growing up
the wall. Well—even if it had no name on the gate, like you said, anyone would
know it was still The Ivies, because of its 'green and shining shawl'—that's a
lovely line, Fatty. You're a real poet, you are."
    But Fatty wasn't listening to Ern's last few words. He stood
still, staring into space, and Bets felt quite alarmed. Was Fatty ill?
    "What's the matter, Fatty?" she said.
    "Well—don't you see?" said Fatty, coming to himself
again. "What I said in the verses—even if there's no name on the gate,
even if the house hasn't got a name, it must still have got the ivy that
gave it its old name. Why don't we go out and look for a house covered with
ivy? We can easily cycle all round and about. We might find the very house
we want!"
    "Loveaduck!" said Ern, in awe. "You're a One,
Fatty. You really are. You make up a pome—and it gives us the first clue! I
never knew anyone like you—honest I didn't!"
    Looking for Ivy!
    The six children began to talk about Fatty's sudden brain-wave. Of
course! Any house once called "The Ivies" must certainly be covered
with ivy, or there would be no point in giving it such a name!
    "But why wouldn't it still be called 'The
Ivies'?" asked Daisy.
    "It's an old-fashioned sort of name," said Larry.
"Maybe it's owned now by someone who just prefers a number for their
house. Some people do. The house opposite ours used to be called 'Four Towers'
but now it's simply 'Number Seventeen' with the 'seventeen' written out in
full."
    "I think you're probably right, Larry." said Fatty.
"Well, the thing to do is to go round looking for houses covered with ivy.
I don't imagine that anyone would have the ivy pulled up, if they bought the
house, because it clings to the wall so tightly, and sends its tiny rootlets
into every nook and cranny. The ivy will still be there."
    "A green and shining shawl," quoted Ern, who still
hadn't recovered from Fatty's ending to his poem. "Coo, Fatty, you're a
wonder! To think of you standing up there, and ..."
    "Forget it, Ern," said Fatty. "You could do it too
if you let your tongue just go loose. Practice is all you need. Now, let's go
on with the discussion. We're all agreed, then, that the next thing to do is to
search for an ivy-covered house, with just a number, since we know there isn't
a single house in Peterswood called 'The Ivies'."
    "It might have another name," said Bets.
    "Yes—you're right, Bets," said Fatty. "It might.
The people who called it The Ivies' might not be there now. They might have
moved."
    "Still, we know that people called Smith live there—if what
those peculiar notes say is true," said Daisy.
    "So, whenever we find a house covered with ivy, we have to
try and find out if the people in it are called Smith," said Larry,
triumphantly. "I really feel as if we're getting somewhere now."
    "I bet my uncle won't think up anything as clever as
this," said Ern, thoroughly enjoying himself.
    "He didn't hear Fatty's verses." said Pip. "If we
hadn't heard them either, we'd not have thought of that clue—looking for an
ivy-covered bouse that wasn't called "The
    Ivies'. Fatty, when can we go and look for this house?"
    "No time like the present," said Fatty. "Got your
bike, young Ern? Then you can come with us."
    "Suppose my uncle asks me what I've been up to this
morning?" said Ern. "Shall I tell him I haven't seen you?"
    "Certainly not," said Fatty, shocked. "Any
fibs of that sort from you, Ern, and you don't come to any more meetings. You
ought to know by now what we think of people who don't tell the truth."
    "I'm sorry, Fatty," said Ern, humbly. "But I just
didn't want to give anything away. My uncle's bound to ask me to tell him
everything we said—and I don't want him to worm things out of me. I just
thought it would make it easy, like, to say I hadn't seen you."
    "Never you take the easy way out if it means