“Never mind,” she said. “Another ten minutes and the tide will be right under it — and then it will turn and take the boat with it!”

She began to make her way up the beach, Timmy close to her side. “Now let’s go after those campers, who-ever they are,” she said. “Where’s their light gone? I can’t see it now.”

But in a minute or two she saw it again. “It’s not from a camp-fire — it’s from a lantern of some sort,” she whispered to Timmy. “We’ll have to be careful now. Let’s see if we can creep up behind them.”

The two of them made their way silently towards the middle of the little island. Here there was an old ruined castle — and there, in the courtyard of the castle, sitting in the midst of thick, overgrown weeds, were two men. George had her hand on Timmy’s collar, and tugged it gently. He knew that meant, “No barking, no growling, Tim,” and he stood perfectly still, the hackles on his neck rising fast.

The two men were playing cards by the light of a fairly powerful lantern, which they had set on a ruined stone wall. Timmy couldn’t help giving a surprised growl when he saw one of them, but George hushed him at once.

Mr Wooh, the magician from the circus, was there, dealing out the cards! The other man she didn’t know. He was well-dressed, and seemed bored. He flung down his cards as Timmy and George watched from a dark corner of the old castle, and spoke to his companion in an irritated voice.

“Well, whoever it is you said was bringing the rest of those papers here to the island doesn’t seem to be turning up. The papers you’ve given me are good — very good — but of no use without the others. This scientist fellow you’ve stolen them from is a genius. If we get the complete set of papers, they will be worth a tremendous sum of money, which I can get for you — but without the other papers, there will be no money for you — the first set would be useless!”

“I tell you, someone will be here with them. I heard them say so,” said Mr Wooh, in his stately voice.

“Who stole them — you?” asked the other man, shuffling the cards quickly.

“No. I did not steal them,” said Mr Wooh. “Me, I keep my hands clean — I do not steal.”

The second man laughed. “No. You let other people do your dirty work for you, don’t you! Mr Wooh, the World’s Most Wonderful Magician, does not soil his hands! He merely uses the hands of others — and charges enormous prices for the goods they steal. You’re a cunning one, Mr Wooh. I wouldn’t like you for an enemy! How did you manage to get the papers?”

“By using my eyes and my ears and my cunning,” answered Mr Wooh. “They are better than most people’s. So many people are stupid, my good friend.”