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playing. In the gilded auditorium, the faded, red plush seats were filling with people wearing evening dress. Way up above in the topmost gallery – known as “the gods” – poorer people were packing on to the hard benches, laughing and joking and leaning forward to catch a glimpse of the “nobs” below them. The whole theatre was filled with an expectant buzz. Sparrow breathed in the atmosphere, looked around at the happy faces and decided that he was in the most exciting place in the entire universe.
    The first half of the programme went very well. The audience laughed at the cockney comic’s jokes, gasped at the twists and turns of the acrobats, marvelled at the skill of the jugglers, and even listened enraptured to the fat lady singer – to Sparrow’s surprise, the “lubrication” seemed to have worked wonders on her voice. As the applause died away, the theatre manager strode on to the stage to announce the final act before the interval.
    “Your Royal Highness,” he proclaimed. “My lords, ladies and gentlemen! It is my proud privilege to present to you an artiste we have brought over, at
enormous
expense to the management, all the way from Milano in sunny Italy. A man who has performed for the crowned heads of Europe and the world. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the magician magnificent, escapologist extraordinaire, the one and only – the Great Gandini!”
    The Great Gandini was a rather oily, middle-aged man, whose twirly, black moustache turned up at each end into sharp, waxed points. He was slim but well muscled, and wore a rather shiny dress suit, complete with white bow tie and tailcoat. He was assisted by an attractive young woman, with wavy, black hair, wearing a tight-fitting dress of scarlet satin. Because it was the interval next, and he did not have to call any more artistes, Sparrow was able to stand in the “wings” at the side of the stage and watch as the magician performed a series of tricks, each more amazing than the last. He made doves appear and rabbits disappear. He produced coins and eggs from people’s ears. He stole people’s watches and produced them in other people’s pockets. He presented a lady with a large bouquet of real flowers that he had conjured out of a small pocket handkerchief. And all the time, he kept up a continuous patter, addressing the audience in a heavy Italian accent, with almost every word seeming to end in “o” or “a”.
    Sparrow was enthralled by it all. But it was the Great Gandini’s final trick that really grabbed his attention. With the help of a volunteer from the audience, the assistant fastened the magician’s wrists with handcuffs and bound his arms and legs with chains. She secured these with strong padlocks, which she asked the volunteer to check. Then a large wooden chest was wheeled on to the stage, and also checked carefully to confirm that it was solid. The assistant opened the hinged lid, the escapologist climbed inside and the lid was closed and fastened with a heavy iron bolt and another padlock, the key to which was given to the volunteer to hold. A black curtain with a silver moon and stars sewn onto it descended from the “flies” above the stage, to hide the locked chest from the audience. Standing in front of the black curtain with the volunteer, the assistant started a large clock, which ticked very loudly, and the drummer in the orchestra began playing a drum roll.
    Watching, fascinated, from the wings, Sparrow heard the rattle and clank of chains from inside the chest. Then, to his amazement, the lid of the chest opened and the Great Gandini climbed out, free of chains and handcuffs. He closed the lid again, then pushed through the curtain to be greeted by wild applause. When the curtain was raised once more, the volunteer checked that the chest was still fastened. He took the key and undid the padlock, and found the chains and handcuffs lying in the empty chest.
    Sparrow could hardly believe what he had seen. All