‘What? And miss seeing my son beat ’em up?’ said Mrs Meade contemptuously. ‘Not me, miss. Besides,’ she added sharply, ‘I don’t know as I’m not safer with the German gentleman than I am with a natural.’ She pointed to Campion suggestively. ‘Lizzie Tiddy’s not the only half-wit in this house. Chimney-climbing – !’ Her remark reminded them, as they turned to where an old stone fire-place, wide and primitive, stood on one side of the small room. It seemed at first utterly impracticable as a means of exit, but Campion led them over to it with a certain pride.
‘Look,’ he said. ‘It’s so simple when you think of it. The same chimney serves for both this room and the room behind it, which is no other, ladies and gentlemen, than the one which Mr Campion performed his now famous disappearing trick in. Admission fourpence. Roll up in your hundreds. In fact,’ he went on more seriously, ‘virtually speaking, both rooms have the same fire-place separated only by this little wall arrangement – quite low, you see – to divide the two grates, and topped by a thin sheet of iron to separate the flames.’
He paused, and surveyed them owlishly through his horn-rimmed spectacles. ‘I discovered, all by myself and with no grown-up aid, that this natty device was removable. I lifted it out, and stepped deftly into the presence of this lady on my right, whose opening remark rather cooled my ardour.’
‘I said “The wicked shall be cast into hell”,’ put in Mrs Meade, ‘and so they shall. Into a burning fiery furnace, same as if that grate there was piled up with logs and you a-top of them.’
This remark was addressed to Abbershaw, but she turned with tremendous agility upon Campion. ‘And the fools,’ she said, ‘the Lord ’isself couldn’t abide fools.’
Campion looked a little hurt.
‘Something tells me,’ he said in a slightly aggrieved tone, ‘that I am not, as it were, a popular hero. Perhaps it might be as well if we went. You’ll bolt your door again, won’t you?’ he added, turning to the old woman.
‘You may lay I will,’ said she meaningly.
‘Are you sure you won’t come with us?’
It was Meggie who spoke, and the old woman eyed her less fiercely than she had done the others.