The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat - Blyton Enid (читаем книги онлайн бесплатно полностью txt) 📗

It was exciting. A big elephant was tethered by a hind leg to a stout tree. Five tigers in a very strong cage roared for their dinner. Seven beautiful black horses were being ridden round the field by the grooms, who were giving them a little exercise.

Smoke rose from the chimneys of the gay caravans, and all kinds of exciting smells rose on the air.

"What's our plan?" said Larry, jumping off his bicycle and leaning it against the fence. "Do we hunt round for Luke, or do we ask for Jake?"

"We'll all go, except Bets," said Larry. "It can't matter us wandering separately round the field. I can see other children doing it too. But Bets had better stay and look after the bikes."

The others climbed over the fence and went in to the field. They separated and wandered about, waiting to meet someone they could ask about Jake.

It was Pip who found Jake. He had asked a cheeky little circus-girl if she knew where Jake was, and she had first put out her tongue at him, then called him an impolite name, and then pointed to where a big man was giving a pail of water to a horse.

Pip went across to him. The man looked up. "What do you want?" he said.

"I say," said Pip, "I'm looking for a boy I know, called Luke. I've got a message for him. Is he here?"

"Nope," said the man shortly. "Haven't seen him for weeks."

Pip was disappointed. "Oh," he said. "I did want to talk to him. You don't know his address, do you?"

"Nope," said the man again. "I don't give addresses to little busybodies. You go away and mind your own business."

Fatty came up when he saw Pip talking to the man. "Is this Jake?" he said to Pip. Pip nodded.

"But he says he hasn't seen Luke for weeks," said Pip.

"We're his friends," said Fatty earnestly. "Please believe us. We just want to talk to him."

"I've told you I don't know where he is," said the man. "Now you get out of this field; and just remember what I say, I haven't seen Luke for weeks."

Bets stood by the bicycles, watching the others wandering about the camp. She kept an eye open for old Clear-Orf, and hoped he wouldn't stop and ask her what she was doing there if he came by. She decided to creep through to the other side of the hedge, where she would be hidden from any passer-by.

So she crept through and settled herself comfortably there. She was near a bright-red caravan. She looked up at it, and saw something that gave her an enormous surprise. Somebody was peeping at her from behind the little lace curtain — and that somebody was Luke!

Luke Again

Bets sat quite still, holding her breath. The curtain was then drawn a little farther, and the window was quietly opened. Luke put his head out.

"Hallo, little Bets!" he said in a cautious voice. "Why are you here? Have you come to see the circus?"

"No," said Bets, standing up and speaking in a low voice too. "We heard you had a friend here, Luke, and we wanted to find you and talk to you — so we thought perhaps you had gone to your friend."

"He's my uncle," said Luke. "I don't like him much, but I couldn't think of anyone else to go to. You see, I was afraid they'd put me into prison for stealing Dark Queen. So I ran away."

"But you didn't steal her, did you?" said Bets.

" 'Course not," said Luke. "As if I'd go stealing anything! I'd be too scared, let alone it's wrong. Are you alone?"

"No; the others are here too," said Bets. "They have gone to find Jake to ask if you are here."

"Oh," said Luke. "Well, I didn't tell him anything about the trouble I'm in — nothing about Dark Queen, I mean. I was afraid if I told him that he'd not hide me here. I just told him I'd got into trouble with my stepfather and wanted to run away with the circus. I showed him the bruises where my stepfather hit me last night, and he said he'd hide me till the circus went away and take me with him. He can do with a strong lad like me to help."

"Did your stepfather beat you?" said Bets, with great sympathy. "Oh, Luke, you do have a bad time, don't you? I hope the others don't say anything to Jake about the stolen cat; but I don't think they will. They were only going to say that they wanted to give you a message."

"Well, if they tell him I'm suspected of stealing anything, he'll not keep me here, that's certain," said Luke.

"No circus-folk like to be mixed up with the police. Don't you go and tell anyone I'm here, will you, Bets? I've got to keep hidden in this caravan till the circus moves off."

"I won't tell a soul — except the boys and Daisy," said Bets. "You can depend on that."

"Oh, and Luke — I must tell you something queer," said Bets, remembering the finding of the whistle. But before she could say any more, there came the sound of voices nearby. Luke shut the window hastily, and drew the curtain.

It was only the boys and Daisy coming back to Bets, bitterly disappointed.

"Nothing doing, Bets," said Fatty. "We found Jake, and he wouldn't open his mouth about Luke at all. Said he hadn't seen him for weeks."

"But all the same I can't help feeling that he has seen him and that he knows where he is," said Pip. "It's sickening — coming all this way for nothing."

"What's the matter with Bets?" said Fatty, looking at her suddenly. "She's all red, and bursting to tell us something. What's up, Bets?"

"Nothing," said Bets. "Except that I know where Luke is, that's all."

The four children stared at Bets as if she had suddenly gone mad. "What do you mean?" said Pip at last. "Where is he?"

Bets dropped her voice. "See that red caravan over there? Well — he's hiding in there. I saw him. He was peeping out at me. And I talked to him."

"Did you say anything to Jake about the stolen cat?" continued Bets. "Because Luke said he didn't say a word to him about that in case Jake wouldn't hide him. He just told Jake that he was running away from his stepfather, and he showed him his bruises."

"We didn't say a word about the cat, silly, of course not," said Pip. "I wonder if we can speak to Luke. Which window did he look out of, did you say?"

Bets showed him. Pip whistled the little tune that Luke always used as a signal. The curtain moved slightly, and the children could see the outline of Luke's head behind. The window softly opened.

"Hallo there, Luke!" said Fatty in a low voice. "We haven't said anything to Jake about the cat. I say, are you really running away with the circus?"

"Yes," said Luke.

"But don't you think that everyone will feel certain you stole Dark Queen if you run away?" said Larry. "You know, it's not a very good plan to run away from things."

There came the sound of somebody jumping off a bicycle the other side of the hedge — somebody heavy and panting. The children looked at one another, and then looked over the hedge. Yes, just as they had feared — it was Mr. Goon. His puncture was mended and he had caught them up.

"These your bikes?" said Mr. Goon. "What you doing here?"

"Having a look round the circus," said Fatty politely. "Lovely tigers here, Mr. Goon. You'll have to be careful they don't eat you. They like a nice big dinner."

Mr. Goon snorted. "You'd better clear orf," he said. "You're up to no good here, I'll be bound. Have you seen your friend Luke?"

"Luke?" said Fatty, staring with wide eyes at Mr. Goon. "Why, where is Luke? Isn't he at Lady Candling's? We'd like to talk to him, if only you'll tell us where he is."

"You clear orf," said Mr. Goon again, getting on his bicycle. "Butting in where you're not wanted. Interfering with the Law."

He rode off to the gate that led into the field. The children did not dare to speak to Luke again. They slipped through the hedge and got their bikes. They saw Mr. Goon speak to someone and then go off to where Jake was still watering his horses.