At first the three boys could not see the caravan at all, the night was so dark. They stumbled forward as quietly as they could, holding out their hands in front of them.
"Sh!" said Peter suddenly and stopped. The others bumped into him. "Look!" whispered Peter. "You can just see the outline of the caravan against the dark sky. Isn't that it?"
"Yes," whispered back Colin. "But there's no one there ... it's quite dark."
"Strange!" said Peter. "Well ... let's go as close as we can. Stop if you hear the slightest noise."
They crept right up to the silent caravan. Not a chink of light was to be seen. Peter crept up the steps and listened. Ah ... there was a sound inside! But what was it?
"It's someone crying!" said Colin. Yes ... there was someone sobbing quietly, like a child!
"It must be little Benny, left all alone in the van,"said Peter. "Is the pram anywhere about?" He switched on his torch to see. But it was not in its usual place beside the caravan, and was nowhere to be seen. The sobbing still went on inside the van.
Then a voice made them jump almost out of their skins. It was old Matt again! He must have seen their torches and come over from his shack.
"Didn't I tell you lads to clear off home?" he said. "Master Peter, does your father know you're out? And what are you doing on the steps of that caravan?"
"Matt, that wailing ... it was someone playing a violin!" said Peter.
Matt stood silent a moment. Then he spoke in a voice of wonder. "Young sir, you're right! But never did I hear a fiddle played like that afore. A-wailing and a-woe-ing! Who ...played it? There's no one in the Bolans' caravan, except young Benny tonight, that I do know, for the Bolans asked me to keep an eye on it, while they went down to see someone about a cottage."
"Oh ... then it's poor little Benny crying in there because he's frightened of the wailing too!" said Peter. "Shall we go in and comfort him?"
"No. He's afraid of people," said the shepherd. "But he's not afraid of old Matt! You let me see to him, Master Peter. I'll rock him to sleep like a weakly lamb! It's only that violin that's scared him. And that's a strange thing to be sure ... someone up here making such mournful music at night!"
Matt walked into the dark caravan, making soft, comforting noises in his deep, kind voice. Peter flashed his torch swiftly inside, and saw Benny's dark head on a pillow in a corner. Old Matt bent over him.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The boys left the caravan in silence, and began to walk home. They were filled with curiosity and were extremely puzzled.
Peter spoke first. "I don't understand all this. It must have been Luke playing that violin somewhere on the hillside. But why? Matt seems quite certain that he and Mrs Bolan went off to the town, and left Benny in the van. They took the baby with them, of course, as the pram is gone. Well, then ... why did Luke Bolan apparently come back, all on his own, and play a violin?"
"I don't know," said Colin. "But I'm perfectly certain in my own mind that it was Luke who stole that violin, and uses it to comfort himself with because his banjo has been burnt. He may have felt his wife down in the town for an hour or two, and come up here to play it."
"Well ... where do you suppose he hides it?" asked George. "He must hide it jolly carefully somewhere ... because if it were found he'd go to prison for theft!"
"He probably hides it in his caravan, under the mattress ... or in the bread-bin, or some such place," said Peter. "I think we ought to come up tomorrow and see if we can find it. Luke will be off to some fair or other, earning his living, and we know Mrs Bolan takes the baby and Benny to go shopping. Janet and I met her in the town the other morning."
"All right. We'll come up here tomorrow," said George. "I feel as if I must get to the bottom of this. It's all so strange ... the fire, the missing scarecrow clothes, the stolen violin, the wailing in the night ... and yet no one about to play the violin!"
"Look out!" hissed Colin suddenly, and the three stopped walking very suddenly. A figure stood not far off, still and silent in the big field. Peter chuckled.
"Ass! It's our old friend the scarecrow! I'm glad to see he's still wearing his new clothes. Come on ... we shall all get into awful rows if we're much later!"
"What time shall we meet tomorrow?" asked George. "Shall we all go ... the whole Secret Seven? We'll take something up to the Bolans as an excuse for calling."
"Right. As near ten o'clock as you can manage," said Peter. "Then we can get back in good time for lunch."
They parted at Peter's front gate and went to their homes, thinking over the night's adventure ... for it really had been an adventure! All except that silly business when Susie and Binkie tried to upset everything!
"I hope to goodness they don't get to hear that we're going up to the caravan tomorrow, ... thought George as he went home. "Jack really ought to be more careful. He deserves to be chucked out of the Secret Seven if he can't keep Susie and her giggling friend in order!"
Jack somehow managed to keep Susie in complete ignorance of what was happening, and arrived at Peter's in good time the next morning. Everyone was there. A very brief meeting was held, at which Peter explained to the girls and to Jack exactly what had happened the night before. They listened in astonishment and envy, especially poor old Jack, who had had to escort Susie and Binkie home!
"Gosh ... to think it was someone playing a violin!" said Jack. "I wish I'd heard it. Blow Susie! I bet it was Luke Bolan playing it! My word ... what a bad lot he is ... smashing a window to steal a really valuable old violin!"
"Come on," said Peter, standing up. "Yes, you too, Scamper. Mother's given us some butter and biscuits to take up to Mrs Bolan, so they will make a nice excuse for seeing her, if she happens to be there. If she isn't we shall have a chance to look inside the van to see if the violin is tucked away somewhere."
Off they all went, Scamper running beside them, histongue hanging out. Where were the Secret Seven off to now? Scamper didn't care ifthey were going to the moon, so long as he could go with them!
