Twenty-nine BADGER¹’S STORY
There was not a minute to be lost. Already sounds could be heard on thefloor below.
“Quick, Badger, you fool!” said Bobby. “Pull one of my boots off! Don’targue or ask questions! Haul it off somehow. Chuck it down in the middlethere and crawl under that bed! Quick, I tell you!”
Steps were ascending² the stairs. The key turned.
Nicholson — the pseudo Nicholson — stood in the doorway³, candle inhand.
He saw Bobby and Frankie as he had left them, but in the middle of thefloor was a pile of broken glass and in the middle of the broken glass wasa boot!
Nicholson stared in amazement⁴ from the boot to Bobby. Bobby’s left footwas bootless.
“Very clever, my young friend,” he said dryly. “Extremely acrobatic.”
He came over to Bobby, examined the ropes that bound him and tied acouple of extra knots. He looked at him curiously⁵.
“I wish I knew how you managed to throw that boot through the sky-light. It seems almost incredible. A touch of the Houdini about you, myfriend.”
He looked at them both, up at the broken skylight, then shrugging hisshoulders, he left the room.
“Quick, Badger.”
Badger crawled out from under the bed. He had a pocket knife and withits aid he soon cut the other two free.
“That’s better,” said Bobby, stretching himself. “Whew! I’m stiff! Well,Frankie, what about our friend Nicholson?”
“You’re right,” said Frankie. “It’s Roger Bassington-ffrench. Now that Iknow he’s Roger playing the part of Nicholson I can see it. But it’s a prettygood performance all the same.”
“Entirely voice and pince-nez,” said Bobby.
“I was at Oxford⁶ with a B-b-b-bassington-ffrench,” said Badger. “M-m-m-marvellous actor. B-b-b-bad hat, though. B-b-b-bad business about forginghis p-p-pater’s n-n-n-name to a cheque. Old m-m-man hushed it up.”
In the minds of both Bobby and Frankie was the same thought. Badger,whom they had judged it wiser not to take into their confidence, could allalong have given them valuable information!

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