When John Dolittle returned from telling Blossom that he was about to leave the circus on business for a few days, he found his own animals seated about the table in the wagon talking in whispers.
“Well, Doctor,” said Matthew, who was sitting on the steps, “did you speak to the boss?”
“Yes,” said the Doctor. “I told him. It’s all right. I’m leaving tonight. I felt frightfully guilty, and underhanded. I do wish I could do this openly.”
“You’d stand a fat chance of succeeding, if you did!” said Matthew. “I don’t feel guilty none.”
“Listen, Doctor,” said Jip. “All the circus animals are tremendously interested in your scheme. They’ve asked if there’s anything they can do to help. When is Sophie going to get away?”
“The day after tomorrow,” said John Dolittle. “Matthew, here, will undo the door of her stand just after closing time. But listen, Matthew: you’ll have to be awfully careful no one sees you tinkering with the lock. If we should get caught we would indeed be in a bad fix then. Tinkering with locks makes it a felony instead of a misdemeanor, or something like that. Do be careful, won’t you?”
“You can rely on me, Doctor,” said the Cat’s-Meat-Man, proudly puffing out his chest. “I’ve got a way of me own with locks, I have. No force, sort of persuasion like.”
“Get clear out of the way as soon as you have let her free,” said the Doctor, “so you won’t be connected with it at all. Dear me, how like a low-down conspiracy it sounds!”
“Sounds like lots of fun to me,” said Matthew.
“To me too,” said Jip.
“It’ll be the best trick that’s been done in this show for a long while,” put in Swizzle. “Ladies and Gentlemen: John Dolittle, the world-famous conjurer, will now make a live seal disappear from the stage before your eyes. Abracadabra, Mumble-and-Jabberer, Hoop la – Hey Presto! – Gone.”
And Swizzle stood on his hind legs and bowed to an imaginary audience behind the stove.
Swizzle bowed to an imaginary audience
“Well,” said the Doctor, “even though it sounds underhanded, I don’t feel I’m doing anything wrong – myself. They’ve no right to keep Sophie in this slavery. How would you and I like it,” he asked of Matthew, “to be made to dive for fish into a tub of dirty water for the amusement of loafers?”
“Rotten!” said Matthew, “I never did care for fish – nor water, neither. But look here, have you arranged with Sophie where she’s to meet you?”
“Yes,” said John Dolittle. “As soon as she gets clear of the circus enclosure – and don’t forget we are relying on you to leave the back gate open as well as Sophie’s own door – as soon as she’s out of the fence, she is to cross the road where she will find an empty house. Alongside of that there is a little, dark passage and in that passage I will be waiting for her. My goodness, I do hope everything goes right! It’s so dreadfully important for her – and for all those seals in Alaska, too.”
“And what are you going to do then,” asked Matthew, “when she’s got as far as the passage?”
“Well, it’s no use trying to plan too far as to detail. My general idea is to make for the Bristol Channel. That’s about our shortest cut to the sea from here. Once there, she’s all right. But it’s nearly a hundred miles as the crow flies; and as we’ll have to keep concealed most of the way I’m not expecting an easy journey. However, there’s no sense in meeting your troubles half way. I’ve no doubt we shall get along all right once she’s safely away from the circus.”
Many of the Doctor’s pets wanted to accompany him on his coming adventure. Jip tried especially hard to be taken. But in spite of his great desire to have the assistance of his friends, John Dolittle felt that he would arouse less suspicion if he left his entire family with the circus just as it was.
So that night, after a final talk with Sophie, he set out alone – on business. He took with him most of what money he had, leaving a little with Matthew to pay for the small needs of his establishment while he was away. His “business” as a matter of fact did not take him further than the next town – which journey he made by a stage coach. In those days, you see, although there were railways, to be sure, they were as yet very scarce. And most of the cross-country travelling between the smaller towns was still done in the old-fashioned way.
On his arrival at the next town he took a room in an inn and remained there the whole time. Two nights later he returned to Ashby after dark and, entering the town from the far side, made his way through unfrequented streets till he reached the passage which was to be his meeting place with Sophie.
He made his way through unfrequented streets
Now all his pets, though they had not been given any particular parts to play in the plot of Sophie’s escape, were determined to do anything they could to help things on their own account – which, as you will see, turned out to be a good deal. And as they waited for the arrival of the appointed hour, their excitement (which Gub-Gub, for one, had hard work to conceal) grew every minute.
About ten o’clock, when the circus was beginning to close up, Too-Too stationed himself on the top of the menagerie where he could see everything that went on. He had arranged with the elephant and the animals of the collection to start a rumpus in the menagerie on a given signal – to attract, if necessary, the attention of the circus men away from the escaping seal. Gub-Gub gave himself the job of watching Blossom, and he took up a post underneath the ringmaster’s private caravan.
There was a full moon, and even after the circus lamps were put out there was still a good deal of light. The Doctor would have postponed the escape on this account until later, but he realized that the state of affairs among the Alaskan seals made it necessary for Sophie to get away as soon as possible.
Well, about an hour after Blossom had locked up the fence gates and retired to his caravan, Matthew slipped away from the pushmi-pullyu’s stand and sauntered off across the enclosure. Jip, also pretending he was doing nothing in particular, followed him at a short distance. Everyone seemed to be abed and not a soul did Matthew meet till he came to the gate the Doctor had spoken of. Making sure that no one saw him, the Cat’s-Meat-Man quickly undid the latch and set the gate ajar. Then he strolled away toward Sophie’s stand while Jip remained to watch the gate.
He hadn’t been gone more than a minute when along came the circus watchman with a lantern. He closed the gate, and, to Jip’s horror, locked it with a key. Jip, still pretending he was just sniffing round the fence after rats, waited till the man had disappeared again. Then raced off toward Sophie’s stand to find Matthew.
Now things had not turned out for the Cat’s-Meat-Man as easy as he had expected. On approaching the seal’s tank house, he had seen from a distance the figure of Higgins sitting on the steps smoking and looking at the moon. Matthew therefore withdrew into the shadow of a tent and waited till the seal’s keeper should go away to bed.
Higgins, he knew, slept in a wagon close to Blossom’s on the other side of the enclosure. But while he watched and waited, instead of Higgins going away, another figure, the watchman’s, came joined the man on the steps, sat down and started chatting. Presently Jip, smelling out Matthew behind the tent, came up and tried frantically to make him understand that the gate he had opened had been closed again and locked.
Jip had very little success in trying to make the Cat’s-Meat-Man understand him, and for nearly an hour Matthew stayed in the shadow waiting for the two figures on the steps