III
Somewhat weary, Tuppence stood outside 14 St. Asalph’s Road andnoted that Dr. Binion was a dental surgeon and not a doctor.
From the corner of her eye she noted¹ Tony Marsdon. He was sitting in aracy-looking car outside a house farther down the street.
It had been judged necessary for Tuppence to walk to Leatherbarrowexactly as instructed, since if she had been driven there in a car the factmight have been noted.
It was certainly true that two enemy aircraft had passed over thedowns, circling low before making off, and they could have noted thenurse’s lonely figure walking across country.
Tony, with the expert policewoman, had driven off in the opposite direc-tion and had made a big detour² before approaching Leatherbarrow andtaking up his position in St. Asalph’s Road. Everything was now set.
“The arena³ doors open,” murmured Tuppence. “Enter one Christian⁴ enroute for the lions. Oh, well, nobody can say I’m not seeing life.”
She crossed the road and rang the bell, wondering as she did so exactlyhow much Deborah liked that young man. The door was opened by an eld-erly woman with a stolid⁵ peasant face—not an English face.
“Dr. Binion?” said Tuppence.
The woman looked her slowly up and down.
“You will be Nurse Elton, I suppose.”
“Yes.”
“Then you will come up to the doctor’s surgery.”
She stood back, the door closed behind Tuppence, who found herselfstanding in a narrow linoleum-lined hall.
The maid preceded her upstairs and opened a door on the first floor.
“Please to wait. The doctor will come to you.”
She went out, shutting the door behind her.
A very ordinary dentist’s surgery—the appointments somewhat old andshabby.
Tuppence looked at the dentist’s chair and smiled to think that for onceit held none of the usual terrors. She had the “dentist feeling” all right—but from quite different causes.
Presently the door would open and “Dr. Binion” would come in. Whowould Dr. Binion be? A stranger? Or someone she had seen before? If itwas the person she was half expecting to see—The door opened.

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