BIGGLES SEES TOO MUCH

by Captain W. E. Johns

7. WHY GINGER WAS LATE (Pages 63 – 71)

“It will be remembered that Ginger was left on the road near Penlock Grange with every intention of walking back to the village, to rejoin the others, as soon as he had made a preliminary survey of the big house”. Ginger notices the clouds and foresees a thunderstorm. “However, that did not worry him. He had been wet before”. Ginger scrambles up to the top of a bank to get a look at the house, but he can only see two stacks of chimneys over the tops of trees. Footsteps cause him to turn and Ginger sees “a heavily built man of about fifty years of age dressed in the manner of a sportsman or a well-to-do farmer. He carried a twelve-bore gun under his arm. A dog, a yellow labrador, walked obediently to heel”. “The man was smiling in a good-natured way. “Looking for something?” he inquired pleasantly, in a voice that held just a trace of a foreign accent”. Ginger says he was trying to see where he was as he is walking to Penlock. The two men walk along together and chat. During the journey the man shoots a pigeon and Ginger is impressed with his marksmanship. The man says they had better hurry or they will get wet. By the time they get to some big gates, big drops of rain are falling. The man offers Ginger shelter from the rain for a while. Realising that that man lives at Penlock Grange, Ginger thinks it is too good a chance to miss. Wanting to leave a clue for Biggles as to his whereabouts, Ginger gets out his book of matches. “On the flap was an advertisement for the restaurant near to where they lived and at which they often had a meal”. Ginger tears this cover into four pieces and discreetly drops the pieces as he walks down the drive. Ginger asks the man’s name and is told that it is Julius Brunner. Ginger realises that he has gone too far to withdraw without a reasonable excuse. As they approach the house, Ginger sees a face at a ground floor window. “It was a black face; or at least a dark-skinned one. This did nothing to dispel his uneasiness and he made a last attempt to retire”. “Having come so far, why not come in and have a cup of tea to give the weather a chance to clear?” says Brunner. “Anything but happy, Ginger followed him in. He couldn’t see what else he could do without being pointedly rude, and no one likes to be discourteous in the face of proffered hospitality”. Inside, Ginger sees the chauffeur of the Daimler, now dressed in the manner of an indoor servant. They go to a room lined with books and Brunner asks Ginger some questions about where he is from and where he is staying. They talk about shooting and Ginger is invited to attend for some pheasant shooting. “At this moment the door was opened and a coloured man carrying a tray came in. Ginger thought it was the same man he had seen at the window as they approached the house, but he couldn’t be sure of that”. The man puts down a tea tray and tells Brunner that “Mr Bates would like a word with you, sir, when you can spare a moment”. Brunner excuses himself and Ginger remembers that Pug Bates was the man he has heard over the radio. Brunner returns and pours Ginger some tea. Brunner’s questions get more and more awkward and he says “I believe your friend is named Bigglesworth”. The man sounds distant to Ginger and slowly his senses leave him. “My goodness! he thought desperately. I’ve been doped”. “The last thing he remembered was the crash of his cup and saucer as they fell on the floor and shattered to pieces”.