"Could Tupping have let her loose just in that moment?" asked Larry.
"No," said Luke. "I couldn't see Tupping in the cage, but I could see the door quite well, and nothing came out In fact, it was shut tight."
Everyone was silent. It did seem a most extraordinary thing that Dark Queen should have gone again, under Luke's very nose.
"Was it your own idea to roll the paths near the cat-house?" asked Fatty.
"Oh no," said Luke. "I don't do things on my own. Tupping gives me his orders every day. And he told me to spend the afternoon rolling the paths there."
"Last time you were on the spot all the time," said Pip. "And this time you were too. And last time Miss Harmer was out for the day. And this time she was too. And last time it was Tupping who went into the cage with the cats, and this time it was too — when it was found that Dark Queen had disappeared, I mean. Last time he went in with Goon — this time he went in with Miss Harmer. There are a lot of things exactly the same. It's all very, very odd."
"Well, I didn't take the cat last time, and I didn't this time either," said Luke. "I know I didn't."
"This is more of a mystery than ever," said Fatty, and he got up. "I'm off over the wall to snoop round a bit Do you remember what we found in the cage last time? One of Luke's whistles. Well, as everything seems to be more or less the same this time, I bet there'll be one of Luke's whistles there again!"
"Don't be silly!" said Daisy. "It's just an accident that some of the things are the same."
"All right," said Fatty. "But look here, if I do find one of Luke's whistles in the cage, we've got to realize that that won't be an accident. That will be put there on purpose! Well — I'll go and see."
Everyone wanted to come, of course. So they all clambered over the wall, Luke too. Only Buster was left on the wrong side of the wall, tied up to a tree.
The five children came to the cat-house. No one was mere. Tupping and Miss Harmer had gone to report the matter to Lady Candling. Only the cats looked at the children, their blue eyes gleaming. Bets counted them. There were seven.
"Look," said Fatty, pointing into the cage. "One of Luke's whistles again!"
Luke stared at it in amazement. Then he went to feel in his coat, which was hanging on a tree nearby.
"It must have been taken from my pocket," he said. "I had it in there, ready to finish. It was for Pip. And someone must have taken it."
"And put it on the floor of the cage so that you'd be suspected again!" said Fatty grimly. He stared at the whistle on the floor.
"Can't we get it out again," said Daisy. "Like we did last time?"
"I don't expect there would be time," said Fatty. "Look around for some other clues — quick."
The children began to hunt around. Bets put her nose to the cage and sniffed hard.
"There's the same smell as I smelt last time," she said.
Fatty pressed his nose to the wire and sniffed. "Yes, it's turps," he said, puzzled. "Golly! this is very queer. Everything seems to be repeating itself, doesn't it — the whistle on the floor — the smell of turps. I do think this is the strangest mystery I've ever come across."
"Fatty, I suppose this isn't a clue, is it?" said Daisy, pointing to a little round blob of paint on a stone beside the path. Fatty looked at it.
"Shouldn't think so," he said. He picked up the stone and looked at the blob of paint.
"Luke paints our whistles," he said. "Probably this is a drop of paint he spilt. Have you ever painted our whistles here, Luke?"
"No, never," said Luke at once. "I always do them in the shed where the pots of paint are kept. Anyway, I don't use that light-brown colour. I always use bright colours — red and blue and green."
"It can't be a clue," said Fatty. But he put the stone into his pocket in case.
Just then there came the sound of footsteps, and down the path came Lady Candling, Miss Trimble, Tupping, and Miss Harmer. Tupping looked important. The others looked upset, and Miss Trimble could not keep her glasses on for more than two seconds at a time.
They all looked into the cage, apparently in the vain hope that Dark Queen might possibly be there after all. Miss Harmer gave a squeal.
"What's the matter?" said Lady Candling. Miss Harmer pointed to the floor of the cage.
"What's that?" she said. They all looked in.
"Ho!" said Tupping in a ferocious voice. "That's one of them whistles Luke is always making, that is! I'd just like to know how that got there!"
Miss Harmer took the key of the cat-cage and opened the door. Tupping picked up the whistle. He showed it to Lady Candling.
"Is this one of the whistles you make, Luke?" asked Lady Candling.
Luke nodded. He looked very pale. He could not understand how Dark Queen could have gone again, nor how his whistle could have been found in the cage.
"Luke has been making whistles for all of us," said Fatty. He pulled his own out from his pocket "I expect it's one of our whistles, Lady Candling."
"But how could it have got into the cage?" said Lady Candling, puzzled.
"Your ladyship, it's quite plain," said Tupping. "That boy went in to take the cat, like he did before — and he dropped this whistle by accident and never saw it. He went out of the cage, locked it, put the key back in its place, and went off with Dark Queen."
"I don't even know where the key's kept now," said Luke.
"I usually have it in my pocket, except on the days when I go out," said Miss Harmer. "Then I give the key to Tupping. What do you do with it, Tupping?"
"I keep it in my pocket, too," said Tupping. "But I left my coat along here somewhere this afternoon, so Luke could easily have got at the key. Mark my words, Dark Queen is hidden somewhere about, ready for somebody to fetch away! I knew you'd be sorry, Madam, if you took that boy back again. Stands to reason something of this sort will happen if you do that I said many a time to Mr. Goon —"
"I am not interested in what you say to Mr. Goon," said Lady Candling. "I think we will go over Mr. Goon's head this time and get in touch with Inspector Jenks immediately."
The children were simply delighted to hear this; but, alas, the good Inspector was away, so Mr. Goon had to be notified, and arrived, full of importance, to look for clues and to hear what everyone had to say.
He looked suspiciously at the five children. Then he looked at the cages as if he expected to find a whole lot of dues there again. But there was nothing to see except the whistle which Lady Candling had given him.
"You found any dues this time?" said Clear-Orf to Fatty.
"We've only found a smell and a stone with paint on it," said Bets. The others frowned at her so suddenly and severely that she nearly ran away.
"A smell?" said Mr. Goon disbelievingly. "And a stone with paint on? Ho! so you think you can trick me again, do you — with smells and stones this time!"
With that Mr. Goon turned his back on the children, who at once went to the wall, climbed over it, and sat down to talk about this new happening.
"Bets! Of all the IDIOTS!" said Pip. "You deserve to be spanked. Fancy telling Clear-Orf our own dues! Are you quite mad?"
"I must be," said Bets, almost in tears. "I can't think why I said it."
"Never mind, Bets," said Fatty comfortingly. "Just because you told him, he won't believe you — so if they are clues, it won't matter. Cheer up!"
"It really is a most extraordinary mystery," said Daisy.