Mystery #02 — The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat

"Good gracious me!" said Miss Trimble, trotting up in excitement, her glasses falling off at once. "Where did she come from? Who brought her?"

The children told her, and Miss Trimble listened in surprise, putting on her glasses again.

They all went to the cat-house. Miss Harmer was there, petting one or two of the cats, for she was very fond of them. When she saw Dark Queen in Daisy's arms she was so astonished that she couldn't say a word. She held out her arms and Dark Queen, with one graceful bound, was into them. The cat snuggled up to Miss Harmer, butting her with its head, and purring deeply and loudly.

"Well!" said Miss Harmer in delight. "Where did you come from, Dark Queen? Oh, how glad I am to have you back!"

Everyone told her at once how Dark Queen had suddenly appeared. Miss Harmer took a good look at the cat.

"I think she must have escaped from whoever had her, and made her way home — for miles probably — through the fields and woods."

At that moment Mr. Tupping came into sight with Mr. Goon. The policeman had evidently been telling him about the Inspector and his orders, and Topping's voice was very sour. He gave Luke a scowl, and then saw Dark Queen.

Mr. Tupping seemed as if he could not believe his eyes. He kept looking at Dark Queen in amazement, and he twisted her tail round to make sure she had the little ring of creamy hairs there. As for Goon, his mouth fell open, and his eyes bulged more than ever.

His notebook came out, and the policeman began to write slowly in it "Have to make a report of this here reappearance to the Inspector," he said importantly. "I'd like some details. Were you here, Lady Candling, when the cat returned?"

Once more the children retold the story of Dark Queen's re-appearance, and Goon wrote busily in his black notebook. Tupping was the only person who showed no signs at all of being pleased about the cat coming back. He glared at the cat as if it had thoroughly displeased him.

"Oh, Tupping, before you go, I want to say that Inspector Jenks and I have had a talk about Luke," said Lady Candling in her low, clear voice. "And he is to start work here again tomorrow. Those are my wishes as, no doubt, Mr. Goon too has told you. I hope that I shall have no fault to find with your treatment of Luke."

Lady Candling walked off, and Miss Trimble followed her.

"Now, you clear orf," said Mr. Goon.

The children clambered over the wall and dropped down to the other side. Fatty went to let a very angry Buster out of the shed.

Then Bets' bed-time bell rang. The little girl gave a groan. "Oh, blow! That bell always rings just when I don't want it to. Haven't we had an exciting time today?"

"Well, we still don't know who did steal Dark Queen," said Larry. "I wonder if she could have escaped by herself, somehow — and Luke didn't notice that she slipped off. Maybe the cage-door wasn't locked, and she pushed it open — or something like that."

"I don't think that's at all possible," said Fatty. "But we may as well think that. Anyway, we've been a failure at solving the mystery, so we'll pretend there wasn't one!

Luke went back to his stepfather that night. He was not beaten, nor was he grumbled at.

The next morning he went back to his work. He still felt very much afraid of Mr. Tupping, but that gentleman did not go for him as he usually did. Plainly, what the Inspector said had to be taken notice of! Lady Candling's orders could not lightly be disobeyed either.

The children climbed over the wall to see him as he worked.

"Hallo, Luke," said Bets. "Is it nice to be back at work?"

Luke nodded. "It is that," he said. "I'm not one for lazing around. Well, I never thanked you children properly for hiding me and feeding me like you did; but you know I'm grateful, though I can't talk easily, like you do."

"That's all right, Luke," said Larry. "We were glad to help you."

"I'll make you all whistles, if you like," said Luke. "Fine ones. Not tiddley little ones like I made for Bets. Proper big ones, and I'll paint them up for you, see?"

"Oh, thanks very much," said Pip, pleased. "I think your whistles are lovely. You will be busy if you make us each one!"

Luke was busy, and very happy too. Sometimes Lady Candling gave him a kind word, and the children were always ready to talk to him, or go out with him when he was off-duty.

Things went on very peacefully and happily. The days slipped by.

"It seems quite a time ago now since we thought we had another mystery to solve," said Fatty one day. "We were silly to think it was a mystery, I suppose — just a cat that disappeared, and we didn't know how. There was probably quite a simple explanation of it really."

"All the same, I wish we could solve a mystery these hols," said Bets. "It's not much good being a Find-Outer if you don't find out something. I wish something else would happen."

"Things never do, when you wish them to," said Fatty wisely.