At that very moment, dear Reader, I re-entered the narrative, having returned to Bradford to check on the progress of the investigation.

‘Ah! There you are,’ I cried, turning into the alleyway. ‘I called to see whether there had been any progress—’

And then the blue box – which looked as solid and real as you or I – chose that instant to vanish into thin air.

I blinked, nonplussed. And then a black, spotted veil seemed to rise before my eyes. A cold shiver ran through me and the next thing I knew I was lying prone on the filthy, straw-strewn ground, gazing up at Madam Vastra and her curious friends.

The lizard woman lifted her veil. The squat butler removed his helmet. And the maid with the little mole on her face winked at me.

I closed my eyes again.

On balance, it seemed the most sensible course of action.

THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

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Footnotes

Chapter the Eighth: ‘Through a Glass, Darkly’

1 See Doctor Who: The Snowmen.