Mrs Claire, Dikon and Barbara drew in their breaths sharply as Dr Ackrington clenched his fists and began to stutter. Mr Falls, with the experimental wariness of those suffering from lumbago, straightened himself slightly and looked mildly into Dr Ackrington’s face. ‘I hope to benefit by your treatment,’ he said. ‘Can it possibly be Dr James Ackrington? If so I am indeed fortunate. I had heard that New Zealand was so happy as to—but I am sure I recognize you. The photograph in Some Aspects of the Study of Comparative Anatomy, you know. Well, well, this is the greatest pleasure.’

‘Did you say your name was Septimus Falls?’

‘Yes.’

‘Good God.’

‘I can hardly hope that my small activities have come to your notice.’

‘Here!’ said Dr Ackrington abruptly. ‘Come to my room.’

Chapter 7
Torpedo

‘It appears,’ said Dikon later that evening, ‘that Mr Falls is a sort of amateur of anatomy and that Ackrington is his god. I am convinced that the revelation came only just in time to avert bloodshed. As it is the doctor seems prepared to suffer the adulation of his rather affected disciple.’

‘When is Falls going to appear?’ asked Gaunt. ‘Why didn’t he dine?’

‘I understand he took old Ackrington’s advice, had a prolonged stew in the most powerful of the mud baths, and retired sweating to bed. Ackrington suspects a wrong diagnosis and is going to prod his lumbar region.’

‘A terrifying experience. He tried it on my leg. Dikon, have you ever seen anything like the transformation in that child? She was almost beautiful with the dress in her hands. She will be quite beautiful when she wears it. How can we engineer a visit to the hairdresser before tomorrow evening? With any normal girl it would be automatic, but with Barbara Claire! I’m determined she shall dazzle the native audience. Isn’t it a fantastic notion? Metamorphosis at a Maori concert!’

‘Yes,’ said Dikon.

‘Of course, if you’re going to be cantankerous.’

‘I am not, I assure you, sir,’ said Dikon, and forced himself to add: ‘You have given her an enormous amount of pleasure.’

‘And she suspects nothing.’ Gaunt looked sharply at his secretary, seemed to hesitate, and then took him by the arm. ‘Do you know what I’m going to do? A little experiment in psychology. I’m going to wait until she has worn her new things and everybody has told her how nice she looks, until she has been stroked and stimulated and enriched by good clothes, and then, swearing her to secrecy first, I shall tell her where they came from. What do you think she will do?’

‘Break her heart and give them up?’

‘Not she. My dear chap, I shall be much too charming and tactful. It is a little test I have set myself. You wait, my boy, you wait.’ Dikon was silent. ‘Well, don’t you think it’ll work?’ Gaunt demanded.