Chapter 3 Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast

‘What on earth–’ said Tommy.
He was used to finding Tuppence in unlikely spots when he returned tothe house, but on this occasion he was more startled than usual.
Inside the house there was no trace of her, although outside there was avery slight patter of rain. It occurred to him that she might be engrossedin some portion of the garden, and he went out to see if this might be thecase. And it was then that he remarked, ‘What on earth–’
‘Hullo, Tommy,’ said Tuppence, ‘you’re back a bit earlier than I thoughtyou would be.’
‘What is that thing?’
‘You mean Truelove?’
‘What did you say?’
‘I said Truelove,’ said Tuppence, ‘that’s the name of it.’
‘Are you trying to go for a ride on it–it’s much too small for you.’
‘Well, of course it is. It’s a child’s sort of thing–what you had, I suppose,before you had fairy-cycles, or whatever one had in my youth.’
‘It doesn’t really go, does it?’ asked Tommy.
‘Well, not exactly,’ said Tuppence, ‘but you see, you take it up to the topof the hill and then it–well, its wheels turn of their own accord, you see,and because of the hill you go down.’
‘And crash at the bottom, I suppose. Is that what you’ve been doing?’
‘Not at all,’ said Tuppence. ‘You brake it with your feet. Would you likeme to give you a demonstration¹?’
‘I don’t think so,’ said Tommy. ‘It’s beginning to rain rather harder. I justwanted to know why you–well, why you’re doing it. I mean, it can’t bevery enjoyable, can it?’
‘Actually,’ said Tuppence, ‘it’s rather frightening. But you see I justwanted to find out and–’
‘And are you asking this tree? What is this tree, anyway? A monkeypuzzle, isn’t it?’
‘That’s right,’ said Tuppence. ‘How clever of you to know.’
‘Of course I know,’ said Tommy. ‘I know its other name, too.’
‘So do I,’ said Tuppence.
They looked at each other.
‘Only at the moment I’ve forgotten it,’ said Tommy. ‘Is it an arti–’
‘Well, it’s something very like that,’ said Tuppence. ‘I think that’s goodenough, don’t you?’
‘What are you doing inside a prickly thing like that?’
‘Well, because when you get to the end of the hill, I mean, if you didn’tput your feet down to stop completely you could be in the arti– orwhatever it is.’

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