Chapter 19 A MORNING OF WORK
There was a dead silence after Mr. Thomas had said those despairing words - 'Nobody knows whereto look!' Where were Jeff and Ray lying, worried and anxious, knowing their planes to be stolen,picturing them in the hands of an alien country, being dismantled¹ to discover the new and secretdevices built into them!
'They must be absolutely furious to think how easily it was all done!' said Dick. 'Taken by surpriselike that! Surely there must be someone on the airfield² who was in the secret?'
'Bound to be,' said Mr. Thomas. 'These things are carefully planned to the very last detail - and, ofcourse, it was a bit of luck for the men to have a storm going on just at the time when they neededsomething to make their getaway unseen and unheard - unheard, that is, until the planes were actuallyup in the air, and then it didn't matter!'
'Yes - the rain simply slashed³ down that night,' said George, remembering. 'Nobody would be out init - even the guards on the airfield would be under shelter somewhere. It was a bit of luck for thosefellows!'
'I expect they were delighted to look out of that tiny little window at the cottage and see a stormblowing up on the very night they wanted one!' said Dick.
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'It beats me how Mr. Gringle and Mr. Brent never heard or suspected anything - with four strangemen hanging about Butterfly Farm,' said Julian.
'There can't be anything in their heads but butterflies or moths,' said Toby. 'I bet the police will havesomething to say to them!'
'The thing is - what's to be done now?' said Julian, frowning. He turned to Mr. Thomas, who wasdeep in thought. 'What do you think, sir? Is there anything we can do?'
'I doubt it,' said Mr. Thomas. 'The police have had reports of two men driving a closed van at a fastspeed - the number was taken by two or three people who complained - and they think that it mighthave been one used to transport Jeff and Ray to some distant hiding-place - somewhere in a disusedquarry - or in some deserted⁴ cellar. Likely places of that sort.'
Everyone groaned⁵. There certainly was absolutely nothing they could do, then - it would beimpossible to hunt for miles for old

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