Five Find-Outers & Dog Standout Moments

[Blytonfan]

I don't remember which book it's from but the scene where Fatty forgets he is in disguise as a horrible rag-a-bones man and says he is collecting jumble for Mrs. Trotteville! And I think he subsequently buys roses by way of apology?

[Bertie]

That's in Strange Messages. And, yeah, that's a very funny scene.

[pete9012S]

I don't remember which book it's from but the scene where Fatty forgets he is in disguise as a horrible rag-a-bones man and says he is collecting jumble for Mrs. Trotteville! And I think he subsequently buys roses by way of apology?

Hilarious account Blytonfan - really made me chuckle, many thanks!

“Gosh! That’s one of the houses that Mother asked me to collect jumble from,” he
thought. “Well, as I’m so near, I’d better collect it. Let’s see—it was Mrs. Henry’s, wasn’t it.”
Still in rather a daze, trying to sort out everything in his mind, Fatty pushed his hand-cart
up the drive of the house. He went to the front door, quite forgetting that he was disguised as a
dirty old rag-and-bone man. He rang the bell.

Mrs. Henry came to the door and stared. “The back door is round there,” she said,
pointing. “But we’ve nothing for you today. Nothing at all.”
“Er—well, my mother said you’d have some old clothes, Mrs. Henry,” said Fatty, politely.
“For her Jumble Sale you know.”

“Your mother,” said Mrs. Henry, staring in amazement at this awful, dirty old fellow, with
his shaggy grey eyebrows and filthy overcoat. “I don’t know your mother. Who is she?”

“She’s Mrs. Trotteville,” said Fatty, and was most astonished when the door was banged in
his face. Then he suddenly realized that he was in disguise, and rushed off down the drive
with his cart. Good gracious! How could he have forgotten he was a rag-and-bone man—
whatever must Mrs. Henry have thought?

[Bertie]

I hadn't noticed this old thread until it got re-started recently. Had a read through it and most of my favourite moments have been mentioned - mostly the humourous ones between Fatty and Goon. Here's some of my favourites anyway, in chronological order of books...

Secret Room - When Fatty shows the others how to write in invisible ink and how to get out of a locked room. I loved the extra excitement and 'grown up' feel of that as a kid.

Spiteful Letters - Love the beginning, where Fatty disguises as a telegram boy and delivers a telegram to Pip saying he's working on a case in Tippylooloo. He then keeps praising himself ('Mr Trotteville'), much to Goon's annoyance.

Missing Necklace - Fatty disguising as the old man and the Balloon Woman. I always wanted a Royal Doulton 'Old Balloon Seller' as a kid because of that scene and, as I've got older, I've now got two and the old woman with her balloons always makes me think of Fatty!

Hidden House - When Fatty is on his bike in disguise as Ern, and he keeps popping up waving at Goon who is convinced it's Ern 'cheeking him'. Also, when Fatty, on the phone, keeps referring to Goon's canings of Ern as an attack - much to Goon's annoyance, who ends up shaking his fist at the phone.

Hidden House - I like the ending where they have to wait in a corner and jump into the back of a lorry to escape. Similar to escapes in books like Five Get Into Trouble and Valley of Adventure.

Invisible Thief (and Missing Man)
When Goon is in disguise and the others recognise him and keep asking him questions - much to his frustration. Esp. Invisible Thief, as there's also the wonderful interaction between a disguised Goon and Fatty as a 'deaf old man'.

Vanished Prince - When Ern sees Goon practising 'letting his tongue go loose'. And Goon is just saying things like 'abbledy, abbledy, abbledy'. When he then speaks to Ern, we're told: 'He just stopped himself saying abbledy, abbledy. He must be careful. He'd gone and got that on his mind now''

Strange Bundle - One of my least favourite FFO books, but one of the funniest scenes in the series: when Fatty scares Goon with his ventriloquism while they're in Mr Fellows' house. And Goon's subsequent reporting of all the animals and the man who wants his auntie to his superiors.

Holly Lane - When Fatty tells Goon not to be so verbose, and Goon doesn't know what it means but suspects it's 'something rude, I'll be bound'. Then Fatty offers to work with him and Goon keeps calling him a toad - 'once a toad, always a toad'.

Holly Lane - Love the ending, where Fatty gathers everyone together as if he's setting a scene in a play to reveal who did it and how. Very similar to Invisible Thief ending, but better.

Missing Man - The meal times at the Trotteville house with Eunice and her father. In particular, Fatty playing on Mr Tolling's lack of sense of humour with comments about Beetle's, and when he forgot to clean his dirty nails and tries to hide them.

Strange Messages - Fatty's lovely poem about The Ivies, and how it suddenly helped him realise how they could spot the house.

Strange Messages - Fatty knocking at the door of one of his mother's friends, forgetting he was in disguise as a dirty rag and bone man. And his mothers shocked reaction to it.

And there's so many others I could have included...

[Anita Bensoussane]

Great choices, Bertie! No wonder these books are still a delight even when they've been read so many times that the solution to the mystery is already known.