‘This is wild country,’ he said. ‘Bandit country.’

‘Really?’ said James, looking at the map.

‘Yes,’ said Haight. ‘See these villages here?’ He showed James two or three villages on the map, and then pointed down the valley. James made out the shapes of distant stone buildings clinging to the sides of the surrounding mountains.

‘Those places are very difficult to get to and almost impossible to attack,’ said Haight. ‘The people up there have never really been tamed. Italy was united during the last century but the heart of Sardinia is a country unto itself.’

‘I was reading a bit about that last night, actually,’ said James, recalling Merriot’s letter. ‘I wonder, sir, have you ever heard of a secret Italian society called the Millenaria?’

‘Secret society, eh?’ said Haight. ‘Can’t say that I have. Why?’

‘It’s just… Do you remember that bracelet, sir?’

‘What bracelet?’ said Haight, frowning.

‘You remember, it was after your talk. I found it on the floor. You were going to ask Mr Cooper-ffrench if it belonged to him.’

‘My word, you’ve got a good memory. I must confess I’d forgotten all about it.’ Haight searched in his bag and took out another map. ‘I did get round to showing it to Cooper-ffrench,’ he went on, ‘and he said it was nothing to do with him. I put it in a drawer somewhere in my rooms. It’s probably still sitting there. I don’t think it’s valuable, James. I wouldn’t worry too much about it.’

‘No… It’s just the symbol on it,’ said James. ‘The double M.’

‘That’s right. I remember,’ said Haight. ‘I thought it might be someone’s initials. But I racked my brains to think of an MM. I came to the conclusion that it must have been lying there on the floor for some time before you spotted it. But you’ve lost me, I’m afraid. What’s this got to do with this secret society of yours?’

‘The double M, sir; that’s the sign of the Millenaria.’

Haight laughed. ‘You’ll be telling me next that you think they’ve a hideout in Eton and they’re plotting to kidnap the new Head Master and set up Mussolini in his place!’

James laughed too, now. The whole idea did seem faintly ridiculous.

‘I wouldn’t have thought anything of it,’ he said. ‘Except, one day in Eton I saw a man with an M tattooed on each hand.’

‘M for mother, probably,’ said Haight. ‘What did he look like? Was he a strange masked figure with an assassin’s dagger?’

‘No… But he was quite distinctive. He had scars on both his cheeks.’

‘Well, well,’ said Haight, rolling up his maps. ‘I never knew Eton was such an exciting place.’

James picked up the canteen and put it to his lips, but only a tiny trickle of water came out and he put it down thirstier than before.

‘Here, have some of mine.’ Haight put his maps back in his bag and rummaged about for a moment before producing a water bottle.