The Wind on the Moon by Eric Linklater Page B

and repeating it to anyone who would listen, that from the very beginning they had been sure he was the thief.
    â€˜ Quite sure,’ said the Toucan.
    â€˜And if anyone had ever cared to ask my opinion, I would have had no hesitation in saying so,’ added the Ant-eater.
    â€˜In consequence of which,’ exclaimed the Sacred Baboon, ‘we should all have been saved a great deal of trouble and anxiety.’
    A rather gloomy-looking Reindeer was telling two Kinkajous that a person’s life depended entirely on a good upbringing, and nowadays, he thought, parents weren’t nearly strict enough with their children. ‘If Bendigo’s father and mother,’ he said, ‘had been as strict and careful as my parents were, I’m sure he wouldn’t be in prison to-day. Let this be a lesson to you young people!’ And the Kinkajous were so impressed they began to cry.
    A Black Bear from the Himalaya, with two Pandas and a Malayan Honey-bear, were very angry because a member of their family had brought such disgrace upon their honourable name. Bear , they said, was one of the noblest names in the world, and in all their long experience, they affirmed, they had never even heard of a Bear committing theft before. It just showed what the world was coming to.
    Lady Lil, however, was delighted by the news. She was walking up and down with a Dancing Cassowary who was a friend of hers, and telling her what a relief it was to feel safe. ‘So long as I knew there was a thief at liberty in the zoo,’ she said, ‘I should never have had the heart to lay another egg. Never! What was the use of laying eggs simply to have them stolen? All that trouble, and no reward but sorrow! Never again: that’s what I said to Bobadil, and I meant it too. But now I’m going to lay another just as soon as ever I can.’
    â€˜How brave you are!’ said the Dancing Cassowary. ‘I do admire you!’
    One of the very few animals who refused to believe in Bendigo’s guilt was Marie Louise the Llama. She was talking to a group that consisted of an Antelope, a Fallow Deer, a young Dromedary, a Zebra, and a Gnu. Dinah and Dorinda were there as well. Marie Louise said she had known Bendigo for a long time, and throughout their acquaintance he had always behaved towards her with perfect courtesy and consideration.
    â€˜Bendigo is a gentleman,’ she said, ‘and a gentleman cannot be a thief. No, indeed. I have my own theory as to the criminal, but I don’t suppose that my poor opinion would interest anybody.’
    â€˜Pooh, pooh!’ said the Gnu. ‘Tell us, do!’
    â€˜Well,’ said Marie Louise, ‘I lived for a long time in France, as I daresay you know. I was in a very select private zoo near Lyons, and I soon learnt to understand the language of the country.—Such charming people, the French! They have lovely manners, rather like Sir Lankester’s, I always think.—Well, whenever there is a crime in France, the policemen always say “Cherchez la femme.“ And that means\??\—’
    â€˜I know,’ said Dinah. ‘It means: Find the lady.’
    â€˜Why do they want to do that?’ asked the Antelope.
    â€˜I never bothered to enquire,’ said Marie Louise in a haughty voice. She was annoyed because Dinah also knew French.
    â€˜Perhaps,’ said Dorinda, ‘it’s because there are more ladies in the world than men, and so they are easier to find.’
    â€˜That’s a good reason,’ said the Zebra.
    â€˜But who,’ asked the young Dromedary, ‘is the lady whom you suspect?’
    â€˜Ah, who?’ said the Gnu.
    â€˜Lady Lemon, Sir Lankester’s wife,’ said Marie Louise in her most impressive manner. ‘And my reason is this: one day, rather more than a week ago, she and Sir Lankester stopped outside my cage and had a short but far from agreeable conversation. She was grumbling.