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nephew.
    â€œLeave it in the cow,” said the commercial traveller, laughing uproariously and turning it into a cough as no one took any notice.
    When Glover reached the door, leaving everybody seated and waiting expectantly, he turned and spoke:
    â€œWhen I walk in again, that glass will be empty.”
    The door closed behind him.
    â€œWatch that glass,” counselled Mr Warboys, staring at the table with tense eyes. “Watch it!”
    They watched it. There fell a dead silence.
    ***
    The door opened within the minute. Grinning wickedly, Mr Glover made his appearance and progressed to the table on his hands and knees.
    He coolly lifted the glass, drank its contents with a solemn “Good health, everybody,” and set the glass back as he had found it.
    Amid some laughs and partial surprise, he crawled out of the room again. Brows puckered in thought until the commercial traveller burst in with enlightenment.
    â€œThat’s what it is,” he boomed. “He didn’t walk in that time! HE CRAWLED IN! Now, when he walks in the glass will be empty, won’t it?”
    Smilingly, Glover returned, walked calmly up to the table, and raised the glass.
    Mullinger nodded with a little shrug.
    â€œI owe you a pound,” he admitted. “Will you give me an opportunity to win it back? A thought-reading trick, it is called. It isn’t really, but I’d like to bet you a pound that I can be taken out of this room, blindfolded, brought back, twisted round several times if you like, and then led by the hand round the room.
    â€œBefore we start making the round of the room, though, you will name some object which has been hidden whilst I have been out being blindfolded. I will undertake to call a halt when I am directly opposite the place where the object is hidden. Come, you are game?”
    ***
    â€œThat’s new on me,” nodded Glover.
    â€œBut how do I know you won’t choose a confederate to signal to you while you are being guided by him? No offence, of course; simply look at the thing from a fool-proof standpoint.”
    â€œEasy,” agreed Mr Mullinger, counter sly. “You can guide me yourself, Glover.”
    Blindfolded very thoroughly, Mr Mullinger was led back into the smoking room. There was general laughter as Glover rotated him several times, and little Mullinger swayed dizzily upon his feet.
    â€œIf he has the slightest idea of the lay-out of the room now,” grinned Glover, “I’ll eat my boots, rubber heels and all!”
    He took Mr Mullinger’s hand and led him slowly along the sides of the room. Interestedly, the others stared as the pair approached the dish of wax fruit secreted within the gramophone cabinet. There was a general gasp of wonder as the pair reached the instrument and Mr Mullinger called a halt.
    â€œHere,” he chuckled, removed the bandage from his eyes and took in his surroundings. His eye lit on the gramophone before which they had paused. In a moment he opened the doors of the cabinet, looked in and spotted the imitation fruit.
    â€œYes,” he suggested.
    â€œYou couldn’t see?” demanded Mr Warboys.
    â€œLet us do it again,” said Mr Mullinger. “We’ll start again from the door. Bandage my eyes very tightly, Glover. That is the idea, my boy. Lead me to the door. Good. Now, turn me several times.”
    ***
    Glover did as instructed. He took the older man’s hand and steadied him as he reeled dizzily.
    â€œNow,” Mr Mullinger spoke very steadily, “we will walk slowly round the walls again. I don’t know where it is, but I shall undertake to call ‘halt’ opposite eighty-five pounds and some securities.”
    There was an electric silence.
    The man in the tartan tie emerged again from a doze.
    â€œEighty-five pounds and some securities. Where?”
    â€œI don’t know,” confessed Mr Mullinger quietly. “But if Mr Glover will take my hand