however, he added a simple exercise for the
elbows to his customary ones, and went down to his breakfast as hungry
as the proverbial hunter. A substantial meal of five dried beans and a
stewed nut awaited him in the fine oak-panelled library; and as he did
ample justice to the banquet his thoughts went back to the terrible days
when he lived the luxurious meat-eating life of the ordinary
man-about-town; to the evening when he discovered the body of Sir
Eustace Butt, M.P., and swore to bring the assassin to vengeance; to the
day when----

Suddenly he realised that his thoughts were wandering. With iron will he
controlled them and concentrated fixedly on the word "dough-nut" for
twelve minutes. Greatly refreshed, he rose and strode out into the sun.

At the door of his cottage a girl was standing. She was extremely
beautiful, and Roger's heart would have jumped if he had not had that
organ (thanks to Twisting Exercise 23) under perfect control.

"Is this the way to Denfield?" she asked.

"Straight on," said Roger.

He returned to his cottage, breathing heavily through his ears.

CHAPTER XCIII

ANOTHER SURPRISE

Six months went by, and the murderer of Sir Joshua Tubbs, M.P. and Sir
Eustace Butt, M.P. still remained at large. Roger had sold his cottage
in the country and was now in London, performing his exercises with
regularity, concentrating daily upon the words "wardrobe," "dough-nut,"
and "wasp," and living entirely upon proteids.

One day he had the idea that he would start a restaurant in the East-End
for the sale of meatless foods. This would bring him in touch with the
lower classes, among whom he expected to find the assassin of his two
oldest friends.

In less than three or four years the shop was a tremendous success. In
spite of this, however, Roger did not neglect his exercises; taking
particular care to keep the toes well turned in when lunging ten times
backwards. (Exercise 17.) Once, to his joy, the girl whom he had first
met outside his country cottage came in and had her simple lunch of
Smilopat (ninepence the dab) at his shop. That evening he lunged twelve
times to the right instead of ten.

One day business had taken Roger to the West-End. As he was returning
home at midnight through Gordon Square, he suddenly stopped and
staggered back.

A body lay on the ground before him!

Hastily turning it over upon its face, Roger gave a cry of horror.

It was Detective-Inspector Frenchard! Sta