II
‘You seem very excited and out of breath, Tuppence,’ said Tommy as hiswife, dressed in her garden clothes, came in through the side door, pant-ing a little as she came.
‘Well,’ said Tuppence, ‘I am in a way.’
‘Not been overdoing¹ it in the garden?’
‘No. Actually I haven’t been doing anything at all. I’ve just been standingby the lettuces² talking, or being talked to–whichever way you put it–’
‘Who’s been talking to you?’
‘A boy,’ said Tuppence. ‘A boy.’
‘Offering to help in the garden?’
‘Not exactly,’ said Tuppence. ‘That would be very nice too, of course. No.
Actually, he was expressing admiration³.’
‘Of the garden?’
‘No,’ said Tuppence, ‘of me.’
‘Of you?’
‘Don’t look surprised,’ said Tuppence, ‘and oh, don’t sound surprisedeither. Still, I admit these bonnes bouches come in sometimes when youleast expect them.’
‘Oh. What is the admiration of–your beauty or your garden overall?’
‘My past,’ said Tuppence.
‘Your past!’
‘Yes. He was fairly thrilled to think I had been the lady, as he put it, whohad unmasked a German spy in the last war. A false naval⁴ commander, re-tired, who was nothing of the kind.’
‘Good gracious,’ said Tommy. ‘N or M again. Dear me, shan’t we ever beable to live that down?’
‘Well, I’m not very sure I want to live it down,’ said Tuppence. ‘I mean,why should we? If we’d been a celebrated⁵ actress or actor we’d quite liketo be reminded of it.’
‘I see the point,’ said Tommy.
‘And I think it might be very useful with what we’re trying to do here.’
‘If he’s a boy, how old did you say he was?’
‘Oh, I should think about ten or twelve. Looks ten but he’s twelve, Ithink. And he has a friend called Clarence.’
‘What’s that got to do with it?’

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