ne)
on one side of me, and a little black-bearded man with gold glasses,
and medical man written all over him, on the other. He rubbed his hands
together, and raised his eyebrows as I stared at him. 'Ah!' he said. 'So
our young friend is coming round again. Capital. Capital.'

"I did the usual stunt. Said: 'What's happened?' And 'Where am I?' But
I knew the answer to the last well enough. There's no moss growing on
my brain. 'I think that'll do for the present, sister,' said the little
man, and the nurse left the room in a sort of brisk well-trained way.
But I caught her handing me out a look of deep curiosity as she passed
through the door.

"That look of hers gave me an idea. 'Now then, doc,' I said, and tried
to sit up in bed, but my right foot gave me a nasty twinge as I did so.
'A slight sprain,' explained the doctor. 'Nothing serious. You'll be
about again in a couple of days.'"

"I noticed you walked lame," interpolated Tuppence.

Julius nodded, and continued:

"'How did it happen?' I asked again. He replied dryly. 'You fell, with
a considerable portion of one of my trees, into one of my newly planted
flower-beds.'

"I liked the man. He seemed to have a sense of humour. I felt sure that
he, at least, was plumb straight. 'Sure, doc,' I said, 'I'm sorry about
the tree, and I guess the new bulbs will be on me. But perhaps you'd
like to know what I was doing in your garden?' 'I think the facts do
call for an explanation,' he replied. 'Well, to begin with, I wasn't
after the spoons.'

"He smiled. 'My first theory. But I soon altered my mind. By the way,
you are an American, are you not?' I told him my name. 'And you?' 'I am
Dr. Hall, and this, as you doubtless know, is my private nursing home.'

"I didn't know, but I wasn't going to put him wise. I was just thankful
for the information. I liked the man, and I felt he was straight, but
I wasn't going to give him the whole story. For one thing he probably
wouldn't have believed it.

"I made up my mind in a flash. 'Why, doctor,' I said, 'I guess I feel
an almighty fool, but I owe it to you to let you know that it wasn't
the Bill Sikes business I was up to.' Then I went on and mumbled out
something about a girl. I trotted out the stern guardian business, and a
nervous breakdown, and finally explained that I had fancied I recognized
her among the patients at the home, hence my nocturnal adventures. I
guess it was just the kind of story he was expecting. 'Quite a