"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
"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."