“There’s one thing which worries me rather,” said Antony.  “Where does Cayley sleep?”

“Next door to me.  Why?”

“Well, it’s just possible that he might have another look at you after he’s come back from the pond.  I don’t think he’d bother about it in the ordinary way, but if he is actually passing your door, I think he might glance in.”

“I shan’t be there.  I shall be at the bottom of the pond, sucking up mud.”

“Yes ....  Do you think you could leave something in your bed that looked vaguely like you in the dark?  A bolster with a pyjama-coat round it, and one arm outside the blanket, and a pair of socks or something for the head.  You know the kind of thing.  I think it would please him to feel that you were still sleeping peacefully.”

Bill chuckled to himself.

“Rather.  I’m awfully good at that.  I’ll make him up something really good.  But what about you?”

“I’m at the other end of the house; he’s hardly likely to bother about me a second time.  And I shall be so very fast asleep at his first visit.  Still, I may as well to be on the safe side.”

They went into the house.  Cayley was in the hall as they came in.  He nodded, and took out his watch.

“Time to change?” he said.

“Just about,” said Bill.

“You didn’t forget my letter?”

“I did not.  In fact, we had tea there.”

“Ah!” He looked away and said carelessly, “How were they all?”

“They sent all sorts of sympathetic messages to you, and—­and all that sort of thing.”

“Oh, yes.”

Bill waited for him to say something more, and then, as nothing was coming, he turned round, said, “Come on, Tony,” and led the way upstairs.

“Got all you want?” he said at the top of the stairs.

“I think so.  Come and see me before you go down.”

“Righto.”

Antony shut his bedroom door behind him and walked over to the window.  He pushed open a casement and looked out.  His bedroom was just over the door at the back of the house.  The side wall of the office, which projected out into the lawn beyond the rest of the house, was on his left.  He could step out on to the top of the door, and from there drop easily to the ground.  Getting back would be little more difficult.  There was a convenient water-pipe which would help.

He had just finished his dressing when Bill came in.  “Final instructions?” he asked, sitting down on the bed.  “By the way, how are we amusing ourselves after dinner?  I mean immediately after dinner.”

“Billiards?”

“Righto.  Anything you like.”

“Don’t talk too loud,” said Antony in a lower voice.  “We’re more or less over the hall, and Cayley may be there.”  He led the way to the window.  “We’ll go out this way to-night.  Going downstairs is too risky.  It’s easy enough; better put on tennis-shoes.”