Monica Varing, to her astonishment, found that she was at the door.
“Wait a minute!” she protested. “I started this—”
“And a nice job you did,” said the Saint sincerely. “But Junior’s vocabulary may shock you when we really go to work on him. And I promised you wouldn’t be late for your curtain. But I’ll report progress — do you get up for lunch?”
He closed the door after her, and came back to stand thoughtfully over Junior.
“Chees,” said Hoppy, giving voice to a profound conclusion. “Who’d ever tink dat old sack was an actress?”
“She may surprise you next time you see her,” said the Saint, “even if she doesn’t use fans in her act... She’s given me an idea, too. Hoppy, I feel Thespian urges.”
Mr Uniatz appeared shocked. Luckily, before he could speak, Simon set his mind at ease.
“I’m going to be an actor. I’m going to play the role of a beggar. After all, I can be bait just as well as Monica Varing... First, though, we’d better put Junior on ice.”
“Dat’s gonna be tough, boss,” Hoppy said dubiously. “Won’t de cement stores be shut?”
“Then we’ll have to try something else,” said the Saint cheerfully. “Do you know where we can park Junior till they open? A warm, cosy oubliette?”