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by Major Easonby Mellon, there could be no doubt that Arthur Brownjohn had a basic desire to be dominated by some Clare-like figure. To possess and be possessed by both was almost perfect, or seemed so until the advent of Patricia Parker, which had been preceded early in March by the disastrous affair of Mr Clennery Tubbs.

Chapter Four
     
    Wypitklere
     
    Clennery Tubbs had appeared on the day that Arthur went to demonstrate a simplified automatic dishwasher of his own invention to a firm named Inter Commerce. This was something on which he had worked intermittently for some years, and it had at one time been in the kitchen at The Laurels. Often it worked perfectly, but upon occasions a destructive gremlin seemed to occupy the washer. The gremlin wrecked this demonstration, at which the activating rods got quite out of hand and broke half the plates. Arthur had been sadly packing it up afterwards, and was on his way out when he was stopped by a small man with wild sandy hair and markedly protruding eyes.
    ‘Rotten luck. Bet it works nine times out of ten.’
    ‘You weren’t at the demo, were you?’
    ‘Couldn’t help hearing what Jenner was saying.’
    ‘You’re quite right. If only they’d give me another trial after I’ve ironed out that little trouble.’
    The man shook his head. ‘No good. Won’t do it.’
    ‘Certainly Mr Jenner seemed rather abrupt.’ Jenner was the chief engineer of the company, and he had been caustic.
    ‘Jenner’s a pig. Won’t even touch my invention.’
    ‘Good heavens. And you’re part of the firm.’
    The man held out a hand. ‘Way it goes. Name’s Tubbs, Clennery Tubbs. Come and have a pint.’
    Over the pint Tubbs talked about his invention. It was a cream that prevented the windows of cars from misting or frosting up, not just for a few hours or even for a day, but for several months. After that you put on some more cream. ‘Firm tested it out. Worked perfectly. Even Jenner said so.’
    ‘What was wrong then?’
    ‘Inter Commerce make a windscreen wiping cloth, new pattern, big sales. Offered me five hundred to buy up my cream, then scrap it.’
    ‘That’s really dishonest.’
    ‘Should have known better. Jenner’s jealous.’
    ‘You can offer it to another firm.’
    ‘He’d see I got the sack. Couldn’t afford to take the chance. Like to see Wypitklere?’
    ‘What’s that?’
    ‘Wipe it clear, see? Name it’s patented under, mustn’t use the actual spelling of words. I said, like to see it?’
    The demonstration took place on a moist, misty day. They set out for a drive in Tubbs’ small car, and before they left he wiped over the screen with Wypitklere. The screen remained clear throughout the drive when, as Tubbs triumphantly pointed out, the windscreens of almost all the cars they passed were misted over. Arthur was impressed but not yet convinced.
    ‘Try it on your own car,’ Tubbs said almost angrily.
    Arthur was compelled to admit that he had no car. At one time Clare had driven a car but after being involved in an accident in which the other driver had been seriously injured she gave up motor cars for ever. She had made it clear to Arthur before their marriage that she would not expect her husband to drive or possess one, and at the time this had seemed unimportant. In the end Tubbs gave him two small pots of the cream and Arthur used one on the windscreen of Payne’s car and gave the other to their doctor, a man named Hubble. On Payne’s car it worked like a charm.
    ‘I really think you’re on to something this time, old man,’ Payne had said, and he had implied that the bank might even consider giving it financial support.
    Financial support was what Tubbs required. He was insistent that he must on no account be telephoned at Inter Commerce, and they always met in pubs. It was a different pub every time and Tubbs, who was a rather seedy little man, always looked nervously around. He said that somebody else was interested in the