"Put a bit more sting in it, mother--ginger." "Ginger," repeated Mrs. Barraclough into the mouthpiece. "No, no, I didn't mean that. He's grey and elderly." "Say he pinched something," Anthony prompted. Mrs. Barraclough nodded. "I rather fear he has appropriated a cream jug. Yes. I thought perhaps he might send it off from the post office. Thank you. And how is your wife progressing? Yes, of course she is. Yes, I am coming down to see her this evening if I can get away. Goodbye." "What's wrong with the policeman's missus?" demanded Anthony. "As you're not a married man, Tony, I shall refuse to tell you," said Mrs. Barraclough in the manner of Queen Victoria. "Going to see her?" "I was going to take her this basket of roses and some vegetables, but as----" "No, no, you take 'em and I'll go down to the village with you in the car and take it on. You won't mind walking home across the fields." "Anthony," said Mrs. Barraclough seriously. "Is it very real danger you're in?" "Pretty solid but don't you fret, I'm equal to it." Flora and Jane came in from the garden. "We've seen him down the road," they announced. "Good. Now, look here, everyone, I've wasted a deuce of a lot of time when I ought to have been on the way. Here's the position of affairs. Flora, you're going to drive me to London." "Right," said Flora with sparkling eyes. "Jane! Still got that old service revolver I gave you?" "Um." "Keep it handy. Likely enough there'll be a couple of visitors here before long and you've got to detain 'em somehow." "I'll keep 'em till they grow roots," said Jane stoutly. "It's a damn shame, dragging you into all this, but that bullet did me in as a driver. It's no joke shoving a motor bike along with a bullet through your hand." "But how did you get the wound, dear?" As hurriedly as possible he outlined the day's happenings from the moment of landing at Polperro. "Who are these men?" Flora demanded. "Couple of spies belonging to a crowd that tried to prevent me leaving London three weeks ago." "But what do they want?" Anthony held up the morocco letter case and restored it to his pocket. "Just this. I've given 'em a pretty good lead all day--played hare and hounds all over Dartmoor best part of the morning but somehow I don't believe I've shaken 'em off." "Where did you leave the bike?" "Couple of miles back on the main road. Shoved her in a thicket. Front tyre burst and that settled it. There's a bare hope they may have been kidded into believing I'd gone straight on but it's slender enough. Comberstone knows I have a home hereabouts and they're pretty certain to have watched my tracks on the road. Mother's old bus is going well you say?" "I can whack her up to about a thirty average," said Flora. "Thirty, and we've a hundred and fifty to go. Yes, yes--ought to be in Town by eleven." "Easy." "Then I'll just swallow a snack of grub and push off straight away. Get your engine started."