Next day Peter and Janet talked and talked about Susie's clever trick. Why, oh why, had they allowed themselves to be so easily taken in? Scamper listened sympathetically to their gloomy voices, and went first to one, then to the other, wagging his tail.
"He's trying to tell us he's sorry about it! said Janet, with a little laugh. "Oh, Scamper, if only we'd taken you with us, you'd have known Susie was in that shed with her silly friends, and somehow you'd have found a way of telling us."
Scamper gave a little whine, and then lay on his back, his legs working hard, as if he were pedalling a bicycle upside down. He always did this when he wanted to make the two children laugh.
They laughed now, and patted him. Good old Scamper!
Their mother popped her head in at the door. "Don't forget you're to go to tea with old Mrs. Penton this afternoon."
" My bike's got a puncture, Mummy," said Janet. " It's such a long way to walk. Need I go ? "
" Well, Daddy is going out in the car this afternoon. He can take you there, and fetch you back afterwards," said Mummy. "He'll call for you about six o'clock, so mind you don't keep him waiting."
The car was waiting outside Janet's school for her that afternoon, with Daddy at the wheel. They picked Peter up at his school gates, and Daddy drove them to Mrs. Penton's. She had been their mother's old nurse, and she was very fond of them.
They forgot all about their annoyance with Susie when they saw the magnificent tea that Mrs. Penton had got ready.
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"Goodness, cream buns! Wherever did you get them?" said Janet. "And chocolate eclairs. Did Mummy like them when you were her nurse ? "
" Oh yes, she ate far too many once, and I was up all night with her," said Mrs. Penton. "Very naughty she was, that day, just wouldn't do what she was told, and finished up by over-eating. Dear, dear, what a night I had with her! "
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It seemed impossible that their mother could ever have been naughty or have eaten too many cream buns and eclairs. Still, it would be a very easy thing to eat at least a dozen of them, Janet thought, looking at the lovely puffy cream oozing out of the big buns, and those eclairs! She felt very kindly towards the little girl who was now grown-up, and her own mother!
They played the big musical box after tea, and looked at Mrs. Penton's funny old picture-books. Then the clock suddenly struck six.
" Goodness, Daddy said we were to be ready at six!" said Peter, jumping up. " Buck up, Janet. Thank you very much, Mrs. Penton, for such a smashing tea."
Hoo... hoo------! That was Daddy already outside waiting for them. Mrs. Penton kissed them both.
" Thank you very, very much," said Janet. " I have enjoyed myself!"
They ran down the path and climbed into the car at the back. It was quite dark, and Daddy's head-lights shed broad beams over the road.
" Good children," he said. " I only had to wait half a minute." He put in the clutch and pressed down the accelerator; the car slid off down the road.
"I've just got to call at the station for some goods," said Daddy. "I'll leave the car in the yard with you in it. I shan't be a minute."
They came to the station, and Daddy backed the car out of the way at one end of the station yard. He jumped out and disappeared into the lighted entrance of the station.
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Peter and Janet lay back on the seat, beginning to feel that they might have over-eaten! Janet felt sleepy and shut her eyes. Peter began to think about the evening before, and Susie's clever trick.
He suddenly heard hurried footsteps, and thought it must be his father back again. The door was quickly opened and a man got in. Then the opposite door was opened and another man sat down in the seat beside the driver's.
Peter thought his father had brought a friend back with him to give him a lift, and he wondered who it was. It was dark in the station yard, and he couldn't see the other man's face at all. Then the head-lights went on, and the car moved quickly out of the yard.
Peter got a really terrible shock as soon as the car passed a lamp-post. The man driving the car wasn't his father! It was somebody he didn't know at all, a man with a low-brimmed hat, and rather long hair down to his collar. Peter's father never had long hair. Whoever was this driving the car ?
The boy sat quite still. He looked at the other man when they went by a lamp-post again. No, that wasn't his father either! It was a man he had never seen before. His head was bare and the hair was very short, quite different from his companion's.
A little cold feeling crept round Peter's heart. Who were these men? Were they stealing his father's car ? What was he to do ?
Janet stirred a little. Peter leaned over to her and put his lips right to her ear.
" Janet! " he whispered. " Are you awake ? Listen to me. I think Daddy's car is being stolen by two men, and they don't know we're at the back. Slip quietly down to the floor, so that if they happen to turn round they won't see us. Quick now, for goodness' sake! "
