SECRET SEVEN ADVENTURE by Enid Blyton

CHAPTER 11 PAM'S DISCOVERY

Next morning Janet, Peter, Colin and Pam met to go to the circus field. They didn't take Scamper, because they didn't think Jumbo the elephant would like him sniffing round his ankles.

He was very angry at being left, and they could hear his miserable howls all the way up the lane. "Poor Scamper!" said Janet. "I wish we could have taken him; but he might get into the lions' cage or something. He's so very inquisitive."

They soon came to the field. They walked across it, eyeing the circus folk curiously. How different they looked in their ordinary clothes - not nearly so nice, thought Janet. But then, how exciting and magnificent they looked in the ring.

One or two of them had built little fires in the field and were cooking something in black pots over the flames. Whatever it was that was cooking smelt most delicious. It made Peter feel very hungry.

They found Trinculo, and he was as good as his word. He took them to make friends with Jumbo, who trumpeted gently at them, and then, with one swing of his strong trunk, he set Janet high up on his great head. She squealed with surprise and delight.

They went to find the little bear. He was delighted to see them, and put his paws through the bars to reach their hands. Trinculo unlocked the cage and let him out. He lumbered over to them and clasped his arms round Trinculo's leg, peeping-at the rest of them with a roguish look on his funny bear-face.

"If only he wasn't so heavy," said Janet, who always loved to pick up any animal she liked and hug it. "I wish I could buy him."

"Goodness... whatever would Scamper say if we took him home?" said Peter.

Trinculo took them to see the great lions in their cages. The sulky youth called Louis was there with someone else, cleaning out

the cages. The other man in the cage grinned at the staring children. One of the lions growled.

Janet backed away. "It's all right," said the trainer. "They're all harmless so long as they are well fed, and don't get quarrelsome. But don't come too near, Missy, just in case. Here you, Louis. Fill the water-trough again the water's filthy."

Louis did as he was told. The children watched him tip up the big water-trough and empty out the dirty water. Then he filled it again. He didn't seem in the least afraid of the lions. Janet didn't like him, but she couldn't help thinking how brave he was!

They were all sorry when it was time to go. They said good-bye to Trinculo, went to pat the little bear once more, and then wandered across the field to Jumbo. They patted as far as they could reach up his pillar-like leg, and then went along by the row of gay caravans to the gate at the end of the field.

Some of the caravanners had been doing their washing. They had spread a good deal of it out on the grass to dry. Others had rigged up a rough clothes-line, and had pegged up all kinds of things to flap in the wind.

The children wandered by, idly looking at everything they passed. And then Pam suddenly stopped short. She gazed closely at something hanging on one of the lines. When she turned her face towards them, she looked so excited that the others hurried over to her.

"What is it?" asked Peter. "You look quite red! What's up?"

"Is anybody looking at us?" asked Pam in a low voice. "Well, Peter... hurry up and look at these socks hanging on this line. What do they remind you of?"

The others looked at the things on the line; torn handkerchiefs, little frocks belonging to children, stockings and socks. For a moment Peter felt sure that Pam had spotted a blue pullover!

But there was no pullover flapping in the wind. He wondered what had attracted Pam's attention. Then he saw what she was gazing at.

She was looking very hard indeed at a pair of blue wool socks, and down each side of them ran a pattern in red! Peter's mind at once flew to the scrap of wool he had in his pocket-book ... did it match?

In a trice he had it out and was comparing it with the sock. The blue was the same. The red was the same. The wool appeared to be exactly the same, too.

"And see here," whispered Pam, urgently. "There's a little snag in this sock... just here; a tiny hole where a bit of the wool has gone. I'm pretty certain, Peter, that that's where your bit of blue wool came from... this sock!"

Peter was sure of it, too. An old woman came up and shooed them away. "Don't you dare touch those clothes!" she said.

Peter didn't dare to ask who the socks belonged to.But if only, only he could find out, he would know who the thief was at once!