Peter and Janet went home, the kitten cuddled against Peter. Daddy was waiting for them.
" Well, where's the boy Jeff? " he said.
" He's gone," said Peter, and showed his father the note.
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" You won't hear of him again," said Daddy. " I tell you, it was just a made-up tale. Forget it! Ask your mother if you can keep the kitten, though we don't really want another cat. I don't think much of the boy, deserting the kitten like that! "
" He didn't, Daddy," said Janet, trying not to cry. " He had to leave it. Those men were cruel."
Daddy went away to his work. Peter and Janet looked at one another. Daddy was so often right about things. Perhaps he was right about this too. Perhaps Jeff had been a fraud, and had made up a tale to tell them.
" What are we going to do ? " asked Janet, wiping her eyes. Peter considered.
" We'll have to give it up," he said. " We can't very well go against what Daddy says, and we know we can't do anything ourselves, because we don't understand what any of the things Jeff remembered can possibly mean. And now Jeff is gone, and we don't know where, we can't even get him to tell his tale to anyone !"
" We'll have to call a meeting and tell the others," said Janet, gloomily. " They won't like it. It sounded so exciting at first, now it's just a silly make-up. And I liked Jeff, too."
" So did I," said Peter " Let's write notes and slip them into the letter-boxes to tell the others there will be a meeting tomorrow. Down in the shed, I think, for a change."
The notes were written and delivered. At ten o'clock the next morning the Seven collected together in the shed. The password " Adventure" seemed most disappointing to Janet and Peter now that there was no adventure !
" I've got gloomy news," said Peter. " We told Daddy everything, and he didn't believe it. He told us to fetch Jeff, and promised to listen to his story, but Jeff was gone ! "
Everyone was startled. " Gone!" said Jack. "Where?"
Peter produced the note, and everyone read it solemnly. " We've got the kitten," said Peter. " And that's all that's left of Jeff and his peculiar tale."
" So we can't go on with anything," said George, in dismay. " I was just getting all worked up about it, thinking we were in for another excitement."
" I know. But we were wrong," said Peter. " This affair is closed. We can't go any further or find out anything more. It's our first failure."
It was a very gloomy meeting indeed. Every one felt very flat. They wondered where Jeff was. Had he really cheated them and told them a made-up tale? It was very very difficult to believe.
" We saw Mr. Tizer and Jeff's uncle, you know," said Colin, suddenly. " They couldn't have been made up."
" We've only got Jeff's word for it that they were his uncle and Mr. Tizer," Peter reminded him. " He certainly said they were, but for ah" we know they might have been two wood cutters, or even poachers. They looked pretty nasty, anyway."
There was a silence. " AH right," said George at last. " It's finished. We don't do anything more. Are we going to the tree-house today ? "
" I don't feel like it somehow, this morning," said Janet. " Does anyone ? I feel disappointed and rather cross."
Everyone laughed. Janet was hardly ever cross. Colin patted her on the back. " Cheer up! We'll soon get over it. And anyway, finished or not, I'm still going to keep my eyes open! Who knows, I might meet Emma Lane walking down the street, carrying a red pillow embroidered with the letters MKX! "
That made everyone roar with laughter.
They said good-bye and went off feeling more cheerful. "What's the date?" said George to Colin, as they went down the lane together. "Wednesday the 24th, isn't it? Well, it's tomorrow that things were supposed to happen, according to Jeff." " He probably made up the date," said Colin.
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" What are you going to do this morning ? We've plenty of time left."
" Let's go down to the canal," said George. " We may see some barges going along. I like the canal, it's so long and straight and quiet."
" I like it too," said Colin. " I'll go and get my boat. You get yours, too. Meet me in that road that goes under the railway bridge, down by the canal."
"What road?" asked George, but Colin had already gone. George raised his voice. " Colin ! What road do you mean ? I don't want to miss you?"
" You know the road, idiot," yelled back Colin. " It's ember lane ! "
Colin was so far away by this time that it was difficult to catch what he said. It sounded like " emma lane." George stood rooted to the spot. Ember Lane. Emma Lane. Jeff might have misheard what his uncle had said, it was probably Ember Lane he meant, not Emma Lane! They sounded so much the same. ember lane !
" It might be that. It might be," said George to himself in excitement. " We'll have a jolly good look round Ember Lane - just in case \ "
