"Look about for any more clues," said Pip. "There might be some more in the cage."
The five of them pressed their noses once more to the cage netting. Bets wrinkled up her nose.
"I don't like the smell in the cage," she said.
"Well, animals never smell very nice when they are caged," said Larry.
"No, it's another smell," said Bets. "Like petrol or something."
The all sniffed. "She means turpentine," said Fatty. "I can smell it too — quite faintly. Afraid that's not a due though, Bets. Still, it's good to notice even a smell. Perhaps Miss Harmer uses turps to clean out the cage. Now — any other clue, anybody?"
But there really did not seem to be anything at all to be found, although the children hunted around the cages and peered inside them time and again.
"Sickening," said Fatty. "Nothing to help us at all. Not a thing. Well, it's a jolly good thing we found that whistle before Tupping or Clear-Orf spotted it. I feel certain somebody put it there so that Luke might be suspected of stealing the cat. What a mean trick to play!"
"I wish we could put a whole lot of dues in the cage so that it would muddle up old Clear-Orf," said Pip.
The others stared at him in delight, the same delicious thought striking them all at the same moment