The exhibition was opened by the Lord Mayor, Mr Ted Brownlow. He recalled that the district had produced the only provincial school of painting.

Almost before he had finished speaking a noisy argument broke out, apparently between one or two members of the Group.

Others joined in and the argument became a row. Fists were waved and there was threatening behaviour. Police intervened to prevent a probable fight, and the most heated of the participants were escorted from the exhibition.

One of them told our reporter that the trouble arose from the Johnson exhibit. He refused to explain how it had caused the dispute.

A public apology for the members’ behaviour was made by Chairman St John Mallows, RA, who observed that it was not unknown for artists to hold strong opinions.

Not very hopefully Gently turned to the stop-press, but his luck was in and there was an intriguing postscript:

J OHNSON PICTURE — LATEST. Police have taken possession of picture [See Page One for full report].

He read it through again to make sure that he had missed nothing, but this was all that the paper could tell him. Again he was on the point of putting through a call to Hansom, but shamed himself from doing it when it came to the push. Hansom, he knew, wouldn’t be too pleased to hear from him; he had twice in the past stolen the local man’s thunder.

Back in the office Pagram took him to one side:

‘I think our friend Herbie is contemplating a deal. He’s harping now on how dangerous it would be for him to talk — he loves the police like brothers, of course, but he’s got to think of his widowed mother. His get-out is still that another man rents his cellar.’

‘I wish they’d given him a bath before they brought him up here.’

It was two hours later when Herbie laid out his cards. The procedure was delicate, though understood by both sides.