SECRET SEVEN ADVENTURE by Enid Blyton

CHAPTER 14 THE PECULIAR MARKS AGAIN

The Seven went to sit on the rails of the fence that ran round the circus field.

They felt disheartened.

"To think we find somebody wearing a coat that exactly matches the cap we found... and yet he can't possibly be the thief because the top of his head is wrong!" groaned Peter. "I must say this is a most aggravating adventure. We keep finding out exciting things... and each time they lead us nowhere at all!"

"And if we find anyone wearing those socks that we are sure belong to the thief, it won't be him at all either," said Janet. "It will probably be his aunt, or something!"

That made everyone laugh. "Anyway," said Peter, "we're not absolutely certain that the cap has anything to do with the theft of the necklace. We only found it flung high up in a tree, you know, near where the thief climbed over the wall."

"It has got something to do with the mystery," said George. "I'm sure of it... though I can't for the life of me think how."

They all sat on the fence and gazed solemnly over the field. What an annoying adventure this was! And then Janet gave a little squeal.

"What is it? Have you thought of something?" asked Peter.

"No. But I'm seeing something," said Janet, and she pointed over to the right. The others looked where she pointed, and how they stared!

The field was rather wet just there, and in the damp part were round, regular marks just like those they had seen by the wall... and very like the smaller marks made by the one-legged man near his cottage!

"I think these marks are the right size," said Peter, jumping down in excitement. "They look bigger than the marks made by the one-legged man's wooden leg. I'll measure them."

He got out his bit of string and laid it carefully across one of the marks. Then across another and another. He looked up joyfully.

"See that? Exactly the same size! Every one of these round marks is the same as those we saw in the ground below the wall the thief climbed!"

"Then... there must be another one-legged man here, in the circus... a man with a wooden leg that measures the same as those round marks," said Colin, excitedly. "He's not the thief, because a one-legged man couldn't climb the wall, but he must have been with the thief!"

"We must find him," said George. "If we can find who his friend is, or who he shares a caravan with, we shall know his friend is the thief- and I expect we'll find that the thief is wearing those socks, too! We're getting warmer!"

Peter beckoned to the small circus girl who had turned cart-wheels some time before. "Hey, you!" he called.  "We want to talk to the one-legged man here. Which is his caravan?"

"Don't be daft," said the small girl. "There hain't no one-legged man here. What'd he be doing in a circus? All of us here have got our two legs... and need them! You're daft!"

"Now look here," said Peter, firmly. "We know quite well there is a one-legged man here and we mean to see him. Here's a penny if you'll tell us where he is."

The little girl snatched the penny at once. Then she laughed rudely. "Penny for nothing!" she said. "You're nuts! I tell you, there ain't no one-legged fellow here!"

And before they could ask her anything else, she was gone, turning over on hands and feet as fast as any clown in the circus!

"You run after her and spank her," called a woman from a nearby caravan. "But she won't tell you no different. We ain't got no one-leggy man here!"

She went into her caravan and shut the door. The Seven felt quite taken aback. "First we find marks outside Chimney Cottage and are certain they belong to the thief," groaned Peter, "but they belong to a one-legged man who is nothing to do with this adventure... and then we find the right marks, right size and all... and we're told there isn't a one-legged man here at all! It's really very puzzling!"

"Let's follow the marks," said Janet. "We shall find them difficult to see in the longer grass... but maybe we can spot enough to follow them up."

They did manage to follow them. They followed them to a small caravan parked not far off the lions' cage, next to a caravan where Louis was sitting on the steps. He watched them in surprise.

They went up the steps of the small caravan and peered inside. It seemed to be full of odds and ends of circus properties. Nobody appeared to live there.

A stone skidded near to them and made them jump. "You clear off, peeping and prying where you've no business to be!" shouted Louis, and picked up another stone. "Do you hear me? Clear off!"