Mystery of the Disappearing Cat Read Free Page A

little dog.”
    “Poor Buster,” said Daisy. “And poor Dark Queen. Oh! I do hope she is found. I wonder how Buster got over the wall.”
    “He didn’t,” said Fatty. “He couldn’t. He must have thought hard, run down the drive, and up the drive next door and into the garden to find us. You know what brains Buster has got. Oh, golly! how are we going to rescue him? How I hate that man Tupping! How awful for poor Luke to have to work under him!”
    “I’ll go and find Bets,” said Pip. “She must have gone to hide or something — maybe she’s scared.”
    He went into the house to find her, and soon came out looking puzzled. “She’s not anywhere about,” he said. “I’ve called and called. Wherever can she be? I suppose she did come back over the wall? She can’t be in next door’s garden still, can she?”
    But she was. Poor little Bets was hiding there, scared stiff. What was she to do? She couldn’t get over the wall by herself — and she didn’t dare to run down the drive in case Mr. Tupping saw her!
     
    Luke is a Good Friend.
     
    When Bets had run to the bushes to see if Dark Queen was there, she had found that it was only a big blackbird that had flown out as soon as she had got there. All the same, she went into the bushes and had a look round, calling, “Puss, puss, puss!”
    Suddenly she saw two bright blue eyes looking down at her from the tree above. She jumped. Then she gave a cry of delight.
    “Oh, it’s you, Dark Queen! Oh, I’m so glad I’ve found you!”
    She stood and thought. It was no good getting Dark Queen down until Buster was safely out of the garden. The lovely cat was much safer where she was. Bets looked up at Dark Queen and the cat began to purr. She liked the little girl.
    Bets saw that the tree would be easy to climb. It wasn’t long before she was up on the branch beside the cat, stroking her, and talking to her. Dark Queen simply loved it. She rubbed her dark brown head against the little girl, and purred very loudly.
    And then Bets heard Mr. Tupping shouting, and she was frightened. Oh dear! the gardener must have come back. He wasn’t out after all. She listened to the angry yelling, and trembled. She did not dare to join the others. She sat quietly by the cat and listened.
    She could not hear exactly what happened, but after a while she realized that the others must have gone back over the wall and left her. She felt very forlorn and frightened. She was just about to slip down the tree to try and find Miss Harmer and tell her where Dark Queen was, when footsteps came along the path. The little girl peeped between the leaves of the tree and saw Mr. Tupping dragging poor Luke along by one of his big ears.
    “I’ll teach you to let children into my garden!” said Mr. Tupping, and he gave Luke such a slap that the boy let out a yell. “You’re paid to do work, you are. You’ll stay here and work two hours overtime for letting them children in!”
    He gave Luke another blow, pulled his ear hard, then pushed him and sent him flying down the path. Bets was so sorry for Luke that tears ran down her cheeks, and she gave a little sob. Horrid Mr. Tupping!
    Mr. Tupping went off down another path. Luke picked up a hoe, and was just setting off in the opposite direction when Bets called softly to him:
    “Luke!”
    Luke dropped his hoe with a clatter, and looked all if round, startled. He could see no one. “Luke!” called Bets again. “I’m here, up the tree. And Dark Queen is with me.”
    Then Luke saw the little girl up the tree and the Siamese cat beside her. Bets slipped down and stood beside him.
    “Help me over the wall, Luke,” she said. “Well, if Mr. Tupping sees me I’ll lose my job, and my stepfather will belt me black and blue,” said poor Luke, his big red face as scared as Bets’ little one.
    “Well, I don’t want you to lose your job,” said Bets. “I’ll try and get over by myself.”
    But Luke would not let her do that. Scared as he was,