He peeped through the bushes. There was a little group of people on the lawn. Pip knew most of them.
"There's Lady Candling," he thought. "And that's Miss Tremble — doesn't she look upset! And there's Tupping, looking very pleased and important — and that's old Clear-Orf the bobby! And oh, there's poor old Luke!"
Poor Luke was there, in the centre, looking quite bewildered and terribly scared. The policeman was standing opposite to him, big black notebook in hand, and Luke was stammering and stuttering out replies to questions that Mr. Goon was barking out at him.
At the back were two maids, plainly the cook and the parlourmaid, both looking excited. They were whispering together, nudging one another.
Pip crept nearer. He could hear the questions now that were fired at poor frightened Luke.
"What were you doing all the afternoon?"
"I was — I was — digging up the old peas — in the Long Bed," stammered Luke.
"Is that the bed by the cat-house?" asked Mr. Goon, scribbling something down in his book.
"Y-y-y-yes, sir," stuttered Luke.
"So you were by the cats the whole afternoon?" said the policeman. "Did anyone come near them?"