While saying this he winked slowly and then looked meaningly at the fat man, who was now lighting a large cigar. It was a cigar with a very strong smell, and Penny felt Lady tremble as the fumes troubled her sensitive nose. The coffee was poured next, and suddenly the fat man spoke. He had an absurdly small voice,

"I think there's something strange under this table," he piped. "I shall call the steward... Have you anything under the table, child?" to Penny, who for once was stricken with fear into silence.

Jon spoke up. "We've only got our rucksacks under there, sir. Sorry if they're in the way, but we didn't like to leave them in the compartment. We're going as soon as we've finished our coffee."

Before the stranger could answer Penny recovered.

"I'm most frightfully sorry," she said with wide eyes. "I'm absolutely ashamed of myself, but I'm afraid that cigar makes me feel sick. Cigars always make me feel ill, and now I just couldn't move, whatever happened... I'm so sorry..." She put her hands to her face and lowered her head as if in pain.

Jon had the sense to look alarmed, while Alan Denton merely looked astonished. But the fat man, after a quick glance at Penny's now shaking shoulders, beckoned the steward, paid his bill and waddled away.

Jon nudged his cousin.

"All right. You can recover now. He's gone."

"Don't you really like cigars?" Denton asked gravely, and then smiled as Penny burst out laughing. "That was a smart way of getting rid of him, anyhow. Let's pay our bills and go... Maybe there's room in my carriage now, and perhaps you two would like to come in with me?"

As soon as the steward had turned his back they slipped out into the corridor, where Lady wagged her tail as Penny stroked her ears. There was much more room in Denton's carriage, so the Warrenders brought their luggage along and settled down opposite to him.

"Hope you don't mind a pipe?" he smiled at Penny. "Now tell me why you're coming to Clun."

Jon glared so fiercely at Penny that for once she remained silent, while he told their new friend briefly that they were joining some old friends from another part of Shropshire and going to stay together at Keep View.

"Do you know that place?" he went on. "It's a sort of boarding house, isn't it?"

Denton nodded.

"Yes... Nice old soul runs it, but I can't just recall her name... I still can't understand why you're all coming to the place now... What made you choose Clun?"

Somehow Jon did not feel inclined to tell him what little he did know of the reasons for their visit, so he countered this by asking:

"But you tell us something about it. That's what we want to know. Have you always lived there?"