‘Quite so,’ said Tommy.

The visitor rose.

‘Then I shall expect you tonight, Mr Blunt. Outside The Larches at—shall we say, five minutes to eleven—to be on the safe side?’

‘Certainly. Five minutes to eleven. Good-afternoon, Dr Bower.’

Tommy rose, pressed a buzzer on his desk, and Albert appeared to show the client out. The doctor walked with a decided limp, but his powerful physique was evident in spite of it.

‘An ugly customer to tackle,’ murmured Tommy to himself. ‘Well, Tuppence, old girl, what do you think of it?’

‘I’ll tell you in one word,’ said Tuppence. ‘Clubfoot!’

‘What?’

‘I said Clubfoot! My study of the classics has not been in vain. Tommy, this thing’s a plant. Obscure alkaloids indeed—I never heard a weaker story.’

‘Even I did not find it very convincing,’ admitted her husband.

‘Did you see his eyes on the letter? Tommy, he’s one of the gang. They’ve got wise to the fact that you’re not the real Mr Blunt, and they’re out for our blood.’

‘In that case,’ said Tommy, opening the side cupboard and surveying his rows of books with an affectionate eye, ‘our role is easy to select. We are the brothers Okewood! And I am Desmond,’ he added firmly.

Tuppence shrugged her shoulders.

‘All right. Have it your own way. I’d as soon be Francis. Francis was much the more intelligent of the two. Desmond always gets into a mess, and Francis turns up as the gardener or something in the nick of time and saves the situation.’

‘Ah!’ said Tommy, ‘but I shall be a super Desmond. When I arrive at the Larches—’

Tuppence interrupted him unceremoniously.

‘You’re not going to Hampstead tonight?’

‘Why not?’

‘Walk into a trap with your eyes shut!’

‘No, my dear girl, walk into a trap with my eyes open. There’s a lot of difference. I think our friend, Dr Bower, will get a little surprise.’

‘I don’t like it,’ said Tuppence. ‘You know what happens when Desmond disobeys the Chief’s orders and acts on his own. Our orders were quite clear. To send on the letters at once and to report immediately on anything that happened.’

‘You’ve not got it quite right,’ said Tommy. ‘We were to report immediately if any one came in and mentioned the number 16. Nobody has.’

‘That’s a quibble,’ said Tuppence.

‘It’s no good. I’ve got a fancy for playing a lone hand. My dear old Tuppence, I shall be all right. I shall go armed to the teeth. The essence of the whole thing is that I shall be on my guard and they won’t know it. The Chief will be patting me on the back for a good night’s work.’

‘Well,’ said Tuppence. ‘I don’t like it. That man’s as strong as a gorilla.’

‘Ah!’ said Tommy, ‘but think of my blue-nosed automatic.’