Buster returned from the battle and went to Fatty, who picked him up.
"Right-down vicious dog," said Mr. Tupping again. "If you want any details, Mr. Goon, I'll give you them."
Mr. Goon did not want to report Buster, because he knew that any report would go before Inspector Jenks, who was very friendly with the children. Still, he thought there would be no harm in pretending that he was going to report Buster for being vicious and out of control, so he pulled out his big black notebook, took his stubby pencil and began to write solemnly and slowly.
The children were rather alarmed. They all went back into Pip's garden at once. Bets gazed at Buster, her eyes wide with fright.
"Would they — would they put Buster in prison?" she asked fearfully — and was very much relieved when all the others burst out laughing.
"Of course not," said Fatty. "Nobody ever heard of a dog's prison, Bets. Don't you worry about old Buster!"
Dark Queen Disappears.
Things began to happen very quickly after this, and, quite suddenly, the Five Find-Outers found that there was a first-class mystery for them to solve.
The next afternoon Pip's mother, Mrs. Hilton, went to tea with Lady Candling, who was now back again next door after a short holiday.
"You may all have a picnic tea in the garden," she told Pip. "Daisy, see that everyone behaves, please, and if you haven't enough to eat, go and ask Cook politely — politely, remember — for some more bread-and-butter."