IV
Tuppence’s plan of campaign had been simple in its outlines. First, ageneral sizing up of probabilities and possibilities. Second, an experimentto determine whether there was or was not an inmate¹ of Sans Souci whowas interested in troop movements and anxious to conceal² the fact. Third—who that person was?
It was concerning that third operation that Tuppence pondered as shelay in bed the following morning. Her train of thought was slightlyhampered by Betty Sprot, who had pranced³ in at an early hour, precedingindeed the cup of somewhat tepid⁴ inky liquid known as Morning Tea.
Betty was both active and voluble. She had taken a great fancy to Tup-pence. She climbed up on the bed and thrust an extremely tattered⁵ picturebook under Tuppence’s nose, commanding with brevity:
“Wead.”
Tuppence read obediently.
“Goosey goosey gander, whither will you wander?
“Upstairs, downstairs, in my lady’s chamber⁶.”
Betty rolled with mirth—repeating in an ecstasy⁷:
“Upstares — upstares — upstares —” and then with a sudden climax,“Down—” and proceeded to roll off the bed with a thump⁸.
This proceeding⁹ was repeated several times until it palled¹⁰. Then Bettycrawled about the floor, playing with Tuppence’s shoes and mutteringbusily to herself in her own particular idiom:
“Ag do—bah pit—soo—soodah—putch—”
Released to fly back to its own perplexities, Tuppence’s mind forgot thechild. The words of the nursery rhyme seemed to mock at her.

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