"Where?"
Essenden seemed to flinch from the glacial inclemency of her voice.
"In the cellar."
"Oh, yeah?" said the Saint unnecessarily.
"There's a door under the main staircase. You go down—"
"And flop through a patent trapdoor into the castle drains," said the Saint, unimpressed. "Sorry to disappoint you, comrade, but we've heard that one before."
The girl answered unemotionally.
"I'll go and see if he's lying," she said. "If he is— well, you can use that rope's end. But we might as well see — in case he's telling the truth by accident."
Simon tossed the length of rope onto the table with a shrug.
"I'll go," he said, "though I don't think it's much use. Let's have some more directions. Down the stairs—"