Living in the country would be more convenient if they would repeal the law against paths that go straight from one place to another place. The bigger and showier the grounds are, the more the paths have to curve, and the main reason for having lots of bushes and things is to compel the paths to curve in order to get through the mess. Anyhow, Leeds and I finally got to the house, entered without ringing or knocking, apparently he was more or less a member of the household too.

All six of them were gathered in a room that was longer and wider than Leeds' whole house, with twenty rugs to slide on and at least forty different things to sit on, but it didn't seem as if they had worked up much gaiety, in spite of the full stock of the portable bar, because Leeds and I were greeted as though nothing so nice had happened in years. Leeds introduced me, since I wasn't supposed to have met Mrs Rackham, and after I had been supplied with liquid

Annabel Frey gave a lecture on how I worked. Then Oliver

A. Pierce, the statesman, wanted me to demonstrate by grilling each of them as suspected dog poisoners. When I tried to beg off they insisted, so I obliged. I was only so-so.

Pierce was a smooth article. His manner was of course based on the law of nature regulating the attitude of an elected person towards everybody old enough to vote, but his timing and variations were so good that it was hard to recognise it, although he was only about my age. He was also about my size, with broad shoulders and a homely honest face, and a draw on his smile as swift as a flash bulb. I made a note to look up whether I lived in his assembly district. If he got the breaks the only question about him as how far and how soon.

If in addition to his own equipment and talents he acquired Lina Darrow asa pa, it would probably be farther and sooner. She was, I would have guessed, slightly younger than Annabel Frey-twenty-six maybe-and I never saw a finer pair of eyes.