Chapter 9 Junior Brigade

Having seen Tommy depart for London, Tuppence was wandering vaguelyround the house trying to single out some particular activity which mightyield successful results. However, her brain did not seem to be full ofbright ideas this morning.
With the general feeling of one returning to the beginning, she climbedup to the book-room and walked round it vaguely¹, looking at the titles ofvarious volumes. Children’s books, lots of children’s books, but really onecouldn’t go any farther than that, could one? She had gone as far as any-one could already. By now she was almost certain that she had looked atevery single book in this particular room; Alexander Parkinson had not re-vealed any more of his secrets.
She was standing² there running her fingers through her hair, frowningand kicking at a bottom shelf of theological works whose bindings werenearly all of them scaling away from the books, when Albert came up.
‘Someone as wants to see you downstairs, madam.’
‘What do you mean by someone?’ said Tuppence. ‘Anyone I know?’
‘I dunno. Shouldn’t think so. Boys they are, mainly. Boys and a girl ortwo all in a hump. Spect they want a subscription³ for something or other.’
‘Oh. They didn’t give any names or say anything?’
‘Oh, one of them did. Said he was Clarence and you’d know all abouthim.’
‘Oh,’ said Tuppence. ‘Clarence.’ She considered for a moment.
Was this the fruit from yesterday? Anyway, it could do no harm to fol-low it up.
‘Is the other boy here too? The one I was talking to yesterday in thegarden?’
‘Don’t know. They all look much alike. Dirty, you know, and all the restof it.’
‘Oh well,’ said Tuppence, ‘I’ll come down.’
When she had reached the ground floor she turned enquiringly to herguide.
Albert said, ‘Oh, I didn’t let them come into the house. Wouldn’t be safe,I think. Never know what you might lose, these days. They’re out in thegarden. They said to tell you they was by the gold-mine.’
‘They was by the what?’ asked Tuppence.
‘The gold-mine.’
‘Oh,’ said Tuppence.
‘What way would that be?’
Tuppence pointed

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