didn’t take their eyes off Lottie and Hannah as they approached with the wheelbarrow. When they were nearly at the gate, Jo thrust out her arm, palm up towards Hannah.
“Stop, in the name of Bean!”
“What?”
“The correct password is required to pass through this gate.”
Hannah rolled her eyes and looked around her.
“Pig dung?”
“Incorrect password.”
“Big fat sheep?” suggested Lottie.
Jo narrowed her eyes at Lottie. “Incorrect password. Also rude and hurtful.”
Hannah sighed. “Crazy mad people who call each other bean names?”
“Incorrect password and an insult to the great and mighty Society of Bean.”
Hannah turned to her brother. “Sam, please let us through. It’s important.”
Sam looked at Jo. Jo gave him a stern stare.
“Do not relent, French Bean. The question is, why is it important? And what is important? That is what the Society of Bean must find out.”
Hannah blew out her cheeks impatiently. “Sam, why do you do this mad Bean thing?”
Sam shrugged. “She makes me.”
“All password attempts unsuccessful,” said Jo. “Entry denied.”
From the pigsties came a sound of clattering metal, followed by, “Get down, girl! Behave!”
Lottie glanced fearfully towards the pigsties. “Just stop being so stupid and let us through.”
She grabbed the bolt and tugged it. It didn’t move.
“There’s no point,” said Hannah. “It won’t budge with those two sitting on it and Jasper in front like a great fat door stop.”
“Don’t listen to them, Jasper!” cried Jo.
“Let us through,” said Lottie in as menacing a voice as she could manage. “Or the sheep gets it.”
Jo laughed. “I wouldn’t threaten Jasper if I were you. He’s a trained killer. He butts people I don’t like.”
“Oh, please,” said Lottie.
There was the sound of wood being dragged across concrete. Dad was shutting the pigsty door.
“Let us through !” hissed Lottie, glancing at the wheelbarrow.
Jo caught the glance. “If you want to get through, show us what you’ve got in that barrow.”
Hannah said, in a higher voice than she’d intended, “We’ve been cleaning out the guinea pigs.”
Jo snorted. “You?!”
“Why have you put your coat on top of guinea-pig droppings?” said Sam.
“Good point, French Bean,” said Jo. “Let’s see what’s under it.”
She jumped down from the gate and reached for the coat.
Hannah spreadeagled herself across the barrow. “No! Get off!”
“Guess I’ll have to call Dad then.” Jo opened her mouth wide and took a deep breath.
“No!” shouted Hannah and Lottie together.
Jo folded her arms and looked at them through narrowed eyes. “So. Here’s the deal. We won’t call Dad and we’ll let you through this gate if you show us what’s in that wheelbarrow.”
“And,” said Sam, “you have to tell us what you’ve been doing all morning.”
Hannah looked at Lottie in despair. Was the theatre over before it had even begun?
Clomp, clomp, clomp. Dad’s boots coming down the path towards them.
“Hannah!” he shouted. “Have you taken my barrow?”
Jo cocked her head and smiled sweetly. “Shall I talk to him?”
“Fine,” spat Hannah. “You win. Now open up.”
As Jo unbolted the gate, Hannah and Lottie grabbed the curtains from the barrow and sprinted off up the track.
“Hey!” called Jo. “Come back! I’m telling Dad!”
“Just follow us!” shouted Hannah. “Quick!”
Chapter Ten
Spying
The curtains, strung on a length of washing line that Hannah had taken from the garden, glimmered and danced as they caught the winter sunlight. Hannah gave a long murmur of contentment. “Now it’s really starting to look like a theatre.”
“We can attach strings to them so we can open and close them from the wings,” said Lottie, her hands clasped in admiration.
“I guess that’s one good thing about having the Beans in the theatre. We couldn’t do the curtains and be on stage.”
“And if Jo’s
“Stop, in the name of Bean!”
“What?”
“The correct password is required to pass through this gate.”
Hannah rolled her eyes and looked around her.
“Pig dung?”
“Incorrect password.”
“Big fat sheep?” suggested Lottie.
Jo narrowed her eyes at Lottie. “Incorrect password. Also rude and hurtful.”
Hannah sighed. “Crazy mad people who call each other bean names?”
“Incorrect password and an insult to the great and mighty Society of Bean.”
Hannah turned to her brother. “Sam, please let us through. It’s important.”
Sam looked at Jo. Jo gave him a stern stare.
“Do not relent, French Bean. The question is, why is it important? And what is important? That is what the Society of Bean must find out.”
Hannah blew out her cheeks impatiently. “Sam, why do you do this mad Bean thing?”
Sam shrugged. “She makes me.”
“All password attempts unsuccessful,” said Jo. “Entry denied.”
From the pigsties came a sound of clattering metal, followed by, “Get down, girl! Behave!”
Lottie glanced fearfully towards the pigsties. “Just stop being so stupid and let us through.”
She grabbed the bolt and tugged it. It didn’t move.
“There’s no point,” said Hannah. “It won’t budge with those two sitting on it and Jasper in front like a great fat door stop.”
“Don’t listen to them, Jasper!” cried Jo.
“Let us through,” said Lottie in as menacing a voice as she could manage. “Or the sheep gets it.”
Jo laughed. “I wouldn’t threaten Jasper if I were you. He’s a trained killer. He butts people I don’t like.”
“Oh, please,” said Lottie.
There was the sound of wood being dragged across concrete. Dad was shutting the pigsty door.
“Let us through !” hissed Lottie, glancing at the wheelbarrow.
Jo caught the glance. “If you want to get through, show us what you’ve got in that barrow.”
Hannah said, in a higher voice than she’d intended, “We’ve been cleaning out the guinea pigs.”
Jo snorted. “You?!”
“Why have you put your coat on top of guinea-pig droppings?” said Sam.
“Good point, French Bean,” said Jo. “Let’s see what’s under it.”
She jumped down from the gate and reached for the coat.
Hannah spreadeagled herself across the barrow. “No! Get off!”
“Guess I’ll have to call Dad then.” Jo opened her mouth wide and took a deep breath.
“No!” shouted Hannah and Lottie together.
Jo folded her arms and looked at them through narrowed eyes. “So. Here’s the deal. We won’t call Dad and we’ll let you through this gate if you show us what’s in that wheelbarrow.”
“And,” said Sam, “you have to tell us what you’ve been doing all morning.”
Hannah looked at Lottie in despair. Was the theatre over before it had even begun?
Clomp, clomp, clomp. Dad’s boots coming down the path towards them.
“Hannah!” he shouted. “Have you taken my barrow?”
Jo cocked her head and smiled sweetly. “Shall I talk to him?”
“Fine,” spat Hannah. “You win. Now open up.”
As Jo unbolted the gate, Hannah and Lottie grabbed the curtains from the barrow and sprinted off up the track.
“Hey!” called Jo. “Come back! I’m telling Dad!”
“Just follow us!” shouted Hannah. “Quick!”
Chapter Ten
Spying
The curtains, strung on a length of washing line that Hannah had taken from the garden, glimmered and danced as they caught the winter sunlight. Hannah gave a long murmur of contentment. “Now it’s really starting to look like a theatre.”
“We can attach strings to them so we can open and close them from the wings,” said Lottie, her hands clasped in admiration.
“I guess that’s one good thing about having the Beans in the theatre. We couldn’t do the curtains and be on stage.”
“And if Jo’s
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