“For anyone who aids in his capture, the State has ordered that a medal be especially struck.”

The sergeant’s eyes lit up and his chest thrust itself forward, as if the medal was already twinkling on the front of it. “A medal, eh?” he said.

“Yes,” said the doctor solemnly. “The Order of the Golden Banana.”

“Oh! My word!”

“So—be discreet, eh, Sergeant? Not a word to a soul?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, sir!”

“And tell me everything you find out—every single thing.”

“Certainly, sir! Me and my constable are at your service, sir! Don’t you worry, we’ll have him under lock and key before he can turn around!”

The sergeant saluted smartly, turned around himself—and fell over the rug, crashing full length to the floor. His helmet, with the long spike on the top, rolled under the table where Rudi Gallmeyer, one of Peter’s friends, was sitting. Rudi picked up the helmet, polishing it furiously on his sleeve, and set it on the sergeant’s head.

“Thank you, Gallmeyer,” said the sergeant sternly. “Glad to see someone’s got some manners in this place.” And he stalked out proudly, quite unaware that the fresh gale of laughter that followed him was caused by the apple that Rudi had stuck on the spike before returning his helmet.

Doctor Cadaverezzi watched all this with amusement, and then turned to Max. “I don’t think we’ll have any trouble with him,” he said.

And then he saw me. And winked! He must have known I’d overheard him. I didn’t know what to say. I knew he was Brilliantini and he knew I knew, and yet he didn’t seem in the least worried about it. He had a sublime, innocent confidence that overlay all his deceptive ways and turned them into play. He crooked his finger, beckoning me.

“What’s your name, young lady?” he said.

“Hildi, sir.”

“You work here, do you?”

“No, sir—I work up at the castle, but I come down here to help my mother sometimes….”

“Ah, good. Then would you give her my compliments and ask her if she will display this poster where it will be seen by all the customers?” Like a conjurer, he whisked a large roll out of his sleeve and handed it to me with a bow, sweeping his hat low along the ground with his other hand. I unrolled it.

“Are you putting on a show, sir?” I said.

“This very evening!”