Mystery #02 — The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat

They did not bother to put on dressing-gowns, for the night was so warm. They padded down the passage and on to the landing. Pip fell over something, and rolled down a few stairs before he was able to catch hold of the banisters and stop himself from falling any farther.

"What's the matter, Pip?" said Bets in alarm.

"Fell over the silly kitchen cat," whispered back Pip. "Golly, I hope no one heard me."

The two sat on the stairs holding their breath for a minute or two, expecting to hear a movement in their parents' room. But nobody stirred. The cat sat at the bottom of the stairs, her green eyes gleaming in the darkness.

"I believe she tripped me up on purpose," said Pip. "She's been awful cross ever since we let Buster into the house. Get away, Puss."

The cat mewed and fled. The children went groping their way down the dark passage to the garden door. Pip unlocked it, and they stepped out into the silent garden. Bets clung to Pip's hand. She didn't very much like the dark.

The whistle sounded again. "It's somewhere at the top of the garden," said Pip. "Come on! Keep on the grass, Bets. The gravel makes a noise."

The two crept over the lawn, up the kitchen-garden, and round past the big rubbish-heap. A shadow moved by the old summer-house.

It was Luke! They heard his voice in the darkness. So Luke had come back after all!

 

Luke Finds Some Good Friends.

 

"Luke! Is that you?" whispered Pip. "What's the matter? Why did you leave the circus?"

Pip drew Luke into the summer-house. Bets sat on one side of him and Pip on the other. Bets slipped her little hand into Luke's big rough paw. The big boy held it there gently.

"Yes. I left the circus camp," he said. "That policeman went to my Uncle Jake, and he told him all about the stolen cat and that he thought I'd taken it — and he said did my uncle know anything about the cat."

"And I suppose your uncle sent you off when he heard all that," said Pip.

"He didn't give me away to the policeman," said Luke. "He said he hadn't heard of no stolen cat, and he hadn't seen me for weeks and didn't want to. I reckon a search will be made of the circus, though, because that bobby is quite certain Dark Queen is somewhere there."

"I suppose they'd make a search for you too," said Bets.

"Yes," said Luke. "Well, my uncle waited till the bobby was safely out of sight, then he came to me and told me to go. Said he didn't mind me running away from my stepfather, but he wasn't going to help me run away from the police."

"But you can't go back to your stepfather!" said Pip. "He's awful to you."

" 'Course I can't," said Luke. "Don't want to be half killed, do I? Thing is — what am I going to do? I came here tonight because I thought you might be able to give me something to eat. I've had nothing since twelve o'clock and I'm fair starved."

"Oh, poor Luke!" said Bets. "I'll go and get you something at once. There's a steak-pie in the larder and a plum-tart. I saw them both."

"Here, Bets, don't be an idiot," said Pip, pulling her back. "What do you suppose Mother will say in the morning if she finds both pie and tart gone? You can't tell a lie and say you don't know anything about it. Then, if you have to own up, people will ask you whom you gave the stuff to and they'll guess it's Luke."

"Well, what shall we give him then?" asked Bets.

"Bread and butter," said Pip. "That won't be missed. And we could take a small bun or two out of the tin. And there's lots of plums and greengages."

"That'll do fine," said Luke gratefully. Bets sped off at once to the kitchen. Soon she had collected the food and was back with Luke and Pip. Luke began to munch hungrily.

"I'm feeling better now," he said. "Nothing like hunger to make you feel miserable, I always say."

"Where are you going to sleep tonight?" asked Pip.

"Don't know," said Luke. "Under a hedge somewhere. Reckon I'd better go tramping."

"Don't do that," said Bets. "You stay with us for a little while. You can sleep in this old summer-house. We can put the mattress from the swing-seat on the bench here and you can sleep on that."

"And we'll bring you food each day till we think of some plan for you," said Pip, feeling rather excited. "It will be fun."

"I don't want to get you into no trouble," said Luke.

"Well, Luke, you won't," said Pip. "You stay in our garden, and maybe we'll be able to solve the mystery of Dark Queen, and then you can go back to your job and everything will be all right."

"I'll get the mattress off the swing-seat now," said Bets, and she ran to get it in the dark. She was more used to the dark now, and she found the swing-seat without difficulty. Pip went to help her. Together the two dragged the mattress up the garden to where Luke sat in the summer-house.

They made a bed on the bench with the mattress and then Pip fetched an old rug from the garage.

"It's a warm night," he said to Luke. "You won't be too cold. We'll bring you some breakfast tomorrow morning."