“I’m sure he has a much worse one by now.” “I was wondering about that. How did it happen?” “I was expecting him. And I’m afraid he loused up the job again. Really, Allen, he did let you down. I bullied and badgered him until he was too bothered to keep two worries bouncing in his head at the same time, and then he dropped a couple of words which were just enough to tell me for sure that you’d be here and what you were planning to do.” Uttershaw smiled and nodded. It was just as though somebody were telling him about a friend of his whose record trout had gotten away because the leader broke. “I knew I’d been disappointed when you arrived here,” he acknowledged. “And I suppose the iridium is still safe in your room.” “Oh, no.” “What did you do with it?” “It never was in my room. So I hope you won’t disturb the atmosphere of my elegant estaminet by sending any more of your messengers after it. You see, after I left Barbara here I went to mother luggage store and bought another bag and put the iridium in it, and I filled your bag with an assortment of sporting goods of suitable weight and, I think, of rather an appropriate shape.
