Scamper finds a clue.

IT was really Scamper the spaniel who found the biggest clue of all. He was with them, of course, sniffing round eagerly, very interested in the curious round marks. Then he suddenly began to bark loudly.

Everyone looked at him. "What's up, Scamper?" said Peter.

Scamper went on barking. The three girls felt a bit scared, and looked hastily round, half afraid that there might be somebody hidden in the bushes!

Scamper had his head up, and was barking quite madly. "Stop it," said Peter, exasperated. "Tell us what you're barking at, Scamper! Stop it, I say."

Scamper stopped. He gave Peter a reproachful look and then gazed up above the children's heads. He began to bark again.

Everyone looked up, to see what in the world the spaniel was barking at. And there, :aught neatly on the twig of a tree, was a cap!

"Look at that!" said Peter, astonished. "A cap! Could it belong to the thief?"

"Well, if it does, why in the world did he throw his cap up there?" said Janet. "It's not a thing that thieves usually do-throw their caps up into trees and leave them!"

The cap was far too high to reach. It was almost as high up as the top of the wall! Johns the gardener went to get a stick to knock it down.

"It could only have got up there by being thrown," said George. "So it doesn't really seem as if it could have belonged to the thief. He really wouldn't go throwing his cap about like that, leaving such a very fine clue!"

"No. You're right, I'm afraid," said Peter. "It can't be his cap. It must be one that some tramp threw over the wall some time or other."

Johns came back with a bamboo stick. He jerked the cap off the twig and Scamper pounced on it at once.

"Drop it, Scamper; drop it!" ordered Peter, and Scamper dropped it, looking hurt. Hadn't he spotted the cap himself? Then at least he might be allowed to throw it up into the air and catch it!

The Seven looked at the dirty old cap. It was made of tweed, and at one time must have showed a rather startling check pattern-but now it was so dirty that it was difficult even to see the pattern. Janet looked at it in disgust.

"Ugh! What a dirty cap! I'm sure that some tramp had finished with it and threw it over the wall-and it just stuck up there on :hat tree branch. I'm sure it isn't a clue at ill."

"I think you're right," said Colin, turning the cap over and over in his hands. "We might as well chuck it over into Little Thicket. It's no use to us. Bad luck, Scamper-you thought you'd found a thumping big clue!"

He made as if to throw the cap up over the wall, but Peter stopped him. "No, don't! We'd better keep it. You simply never know. We'd kick ourselves if we threw away something that might prove to be a clue of some kind-though I do agree with you, it probably isn't."

"Well, you can carry the smelly thing then," said Colin, giving it to Peter. "No wonder somebody threw it away. It smells like my thing!"

Peter stuffed it into his pocket. Then he took the tiny piece of blue wool thread, and put that carefully into the pages of his notebook. He looked down at the ground where the curious marks were. "I almost think we'd better make a note of these too," he said. "Got a measure, Janet?"

She hadn't, of course. But George had some string, and he carefully measured across the round marks, and then snipped the string to the right size. "That's the size of the marks," he said, and gave his bit of string to Peter. It went carefully into his notebook too.

"I can't help thinking those funny marks all over the place are some kind of clue," he said, putting his notebook away. "But what, I simply can't imagine!"

They said good-bye to Johns, and made their way home across the fields. n.o.body could make much of the clues. Peter did hope the adventure wasn't going to fizzle out, after all!

"I still say that only an acrobat could have scaled that high wall," said Janet. "I don't see how any ordinary person could have done it!"

Just as she said this, they came out into the lane. A big poster had been put up on a wall nearby. The children glanced at it idly. And then Colin gave a shout that made them all jump!

"Look at that-it's a poster advertising a circus! And see what it says-Lion-tamers, Daring Horse-riders, Performing Bears-Clowns-and Acrobats! Acrobats! Look at that! Supposing-just supposing . . ."

They all stared at one another in excitement. Janet might be right. This must be looked into at once!

Eight.

A visit to the circus.

PETER looked at his watch. "Blow!" he said in dismay. "It's nearly dinner-time. We must all get back home as fast as we can. Meet at half-past two again, Secret Seven."

"We can't!" said Pam and Barbara. "We're going to a party."

"Don't have a meeting without us," begged Pam.

"I can't come either," said George. "So we'd better make it tomorrow. Anyway, if the thief is one of the acrobats at the circus, he won't be leaving this afternoon! He'll stay there till the circus goes."

"Well-it's only just a chance he might be an acrobat," said Janet. "I only just said it could only be an acrobat that scaled that high wall. I didn't really mean it!"

"It's worth looking into, anyhow," said Peter. "Well-meet tomorrow at half-past nine, then. And will everybody please think hard, and have some kind of plan to suggest? I'm sure we shall think of something good!"

Everyone thought hard that day-even Pam and Barbara whispered together in the middle of their party! "I vote we go and see the circus," whispered Pam. "Don't you think it would be a good idea? Then we can see if Peter recognizes any of the acrobats as the thief he saw hiding under that bush!"

When the Secret Seven met the next day, muttering the pa.s.sword as they went through the door of the shed, everyone seemed to have exactly the same idea!

"We should visit the circus," began George.

"That's just what Pam and I thought!" said Barbara.

"I thought so too," said Colin. "In fact, it's the only sensible thing to do. Don't you think so, Peter?"

"Yes. Janet and I looked in the local paper, and we found that the circus opens this afternoon," said Peter. "What about us all going to see it? I don't know if I would recognize any of the acrobats as the thief-I really only caught just a glimpse of him, you know-but it's worth trying."

"You said he was dark and clean-shaven," said Colin. "And I saw that his hair was black, anyway. He had a little thin patch on the top. But it isn't much to go on, is it?"

"Has anyone got any money?" asked Pam. "To buy circus tickets, I mean? I haven't any at all, because I had to buy a birthday present to take to the party yesterday."

Everyone turned out their pockets. The money was put in a pile in the middle and counted.

"The tickets are a shilling for children," said Peter with a groan. "A shilling! They must think that children are made of money. We've got four shillings and fivepence here, that's all. Only four of us can go."

"I've got two shillings in my money-box," said Janet.

"And I've got sixpence at home," said Colin. "Anyone got the odd penny?"

"Oh yes-I'll borrow it from Susie," said Jack.

"Well, don't go and tell her the pa.s.sword in return for the penny!" said Colin, and got a kick from Jack and an angry snort.

"Right. That looks as if we can all go, after all," said Peter, pleased. "Meet at the circus field ten minutes before the circus begins. Don't be late, anyone! And keep your eyes skinned for anyone wearing a dark blue pullover with a tiny thread of red in it-because it's pretty certain the thief must have worn a jersey or pullover made of that wool."

Everyone was very punctual. All but Pam had money with them, so Peter gave her enough for her ticket. They went to the ticket-box and bought seven tickets, feeling really rather excited. A circus was always fun-but to go to a circus and keep a look out for a thief was even more exciting than usual!

Soon they were all sitting in their seats, looking down intently on the sawdust-strewn ring in the middle of the great tent. The band struck up a gay tune and a drum boomed out. The children sat up, thrilled.

In came the horses, walking proudly, their feathery plumes nodding. In came the clowns, somersaulting and yelling; in came the bears; in came all the performers, one after another, greeting the audience with smiles.

The children watched out for the acrobats, but they were all mixed up with the other performers-five clowns and conjurers, two clever stilt-walkers, and five men on ridiculous bicycles. It was impossible to tell which were the acrobats.

"They are third on the programme," said Peter. "First come the horses-then the clowns-and then the acrobats."

So they waited, clapping the beautiful dancing horses, and laughing at the ridiculous clowns until their sides ached.

"Now for the acrobats!" said Peter, excitedly. "Watch, Colin, watch!"

Nine.

A good idea-and a disappointment.

THE acrobats came in, turning cart-wheels and springing high into the air. One came in with his body bent so far over backwards that he was able to put his head between his legs. He looked very peculiar indeed.

Peter nudged Colin. "Colin! See that fellow with his head between his legs-he's cleanshaven like the man I saw hidden in the bush-and he's got black hair!"

Colin nodded. "Yes-he may be the one! All the others have moustaches. Let's watch him carefully and see if he could really leap up a high wall, and over the top."

All the Secret Seven kept their eyes glued on this one acrobat. They had seen that the others had moustaches, so that ruled them out-but this one fitted the bill-he was dark-haired and had no moustache!

Could he leap high? Would he show them that he could easily leap up a steep wall to the top? They watched eagerly. The cleanshaven acrobat was easily the best of them all. He was as light as a feather. When he sprang across the ring it almost seemed as if his feet did not even touch" the ground.

He was a very clever tight-rope walker too. A long ladder was put up, and was fixed to a wire high up in the roof of the tent. The children watched the acrobat spring lightly up the ladder, and they turned to look at one another-yes - if he could leap up a ladder like that, hardly touching the rungs with feet or hands, he could most certainly leap up a twelve-foot wall to the top!

"I'm sure that one's the thief," whispered Janet to Peter. He nodded. He was sure, too. He was so sure, that he settled down to enjoy the circus properly, not bothering to look out for a thief any longer, now that he had made up his mind this was the one.

It was quite a good circus. The performing bears came on, and really seemed to enjoy themselves boxing with each other and with their trainer. One little bear was so fond of its trainer that it kept hugging his leg, and wouldn't let him go!

Janet wished she had a little bear like that for a pet. "He's just like a big teddy," she said to Pam, and Pam nodded.

The clowns came in again-and then the two stilt-walkers, with three of the clowns. The stilt-walkers were ridiculous. They wore long skirts over their stilts, so that they looked like tremendously tall people, and they walked stiffly about with the little clowns teasing them and jeering at them.

Then a strong cage was put up, and the lions were brought in, snarling. Janet shrank back. "I don't like this," she said. "Lions aren't meant to act about. They only look silly. Oh dear-look at that one-he won't get up on his stool. I know he's going to pounce on his keeper."

But he didn't, of course. He knew his performance and went through it very haughtily with the others. They ambled away afterwards, still snarling.

Then a big elephant came in and began to play cricket with his trainer. He really enjoyed that, and when he hit the ball into the audience six times running, everyone clapped like mad.

Altogether, the children enjoyed themselves enormously. They were sorry when they found themselves going out into the big field again.

"If we could only hunt for thieves in circuses every time, it would be very enjoyable," said Janet. "Peter-what do you think? Is that dark-haired, clean-shaven acrobat the thief? .He's the only likely one of the acrobats, really."

"Yes-all the others have moustaches," said Peter. "I wonder what we ought to do next? It would be a good thing, perhaps, to go and find him and talk to him. He might let something slip that would help us."

"But what excuse can we give for going to find him?" said George.

"Oh-ask him for his autograph!" said Peter. "He'll think that quite natural!"

The others stared at him in admiration. What a brainwave! n.o.body had thought of half such a good idea.

"Look," whispered Barbara. "Isn't that him over there, talking to the bear-trainer? Yes, it is. Does he look like the thief to you, Peter, now that you can see him close?"

Peter nodded. "Yes, he does. Come on-we'll all go boldly up and ask him for an autograph. Keep your eyes and ears open."

They marched up to the acrobat. He turned round in surprise. "Well-what do you want?" he asked with a grin. "Want a lesson on how to walk the tight-rope?"

"No-your autograph, please," said Peter. He stared at the man. He suddenly seemed much older than he had looked in the ring. The acrobat laughed. He mopped his forehead with a big red handkerchief.

"It was hot in the tent," he said. "Yes, you can have my autograph-but just let me take off my wig first. It makes my head so hot!"

And, to the children's enormous surprise, he loosened his black hair-and lifted it off completely! It was a wig-and under it, the acrobat was completely bald. Well-what a disappointment!

Ten.

Trinculo the acrobat.

THE Seven stared at him in dismay. Why-his head was completely bald except for a few grey hairs right on the very top. He couldn't possibly be the thief. Colin had distinctly seen the top of the thief's head when he had sat above him in the tree-and he had said that his hair was black, except for a little round bald patch in the centre.

Colin took the wig in his hand. He looked at it carefully, wondering if perhaps the thief had worn the wig when he had stolen the necklace. But there was no little round bald patch in the centre! It was a thick black wig with no bare patches at all.

"You seem to be very interested in my wig," said the acrobat, and he laughed. "No acrobat can afford to be bald, you know. We have to look as young and beautiful as possible. Now, I'll give you each my autograph, then you must be off"."

"Thank you," said Peter, and handed the man a piece of paper and a pencil.

The little bear came ambling by, all by itself, snorting a little.

"Oh, lookl' said Janet in delight, "Oh, will it come to us, do you think? Come here, little bear."

The bear sidled up and rubbed against Janet. She put her arms round it and tried to lift it-but it was unexpectedly heavy. A queer, sulky-looking youth came after it, and caught it roughly by the fur at its neck.