Three to See the King

for a bit.’
    Early one morning I became aware of a gentle drumming noise. I was lying in bed, half asleep, listening to the gale outside and wondering how much sand had accumulated overnight. At first I didn’t notice the noise at all, as it almost blended in with the more familiar renderings produced by the house.
    Almost, that is, but not quite.
    The difference about this drumming was its highly rhythmical quality, so unlike the normal desultory attacks made by the elements. As if to demonstrate the point, a particularly severe blast of wind struck against the walls and brought me fully awake. When it faded away I realized that the drumming had changed. Now, all of a sudden, the rhythm had sped up. Then it stopped altogether.
    At this moment Mary Petrie stirred a little, so that the sheets and blankets rustled. By the time she’d settled down again the drumming had resumed. It was coming, as far as I could tell, from downstairs. I began to suspect that maybe an empty kettle or pan had been left on top of the stove, and was expanding as it heated up. But, surely, if it had been there all night the bottom would have melted by now, wouldn’t it? Anyway, this noise wasn’t really sharp enough for that. It was altogether softer and duller. I listened for another full minute and during that time the rhythm changed twice again.
    Then Mary Petrie awoke and said, ‘Is it raining?’
    ‘No,’ I replied.
    ‘What’s that drumming noise then?’
    ‘Don’t know.’
    ‘Well, aren’t you going to go and find out?’
    ‘Could do I suppose, but I’m quite comfortable here.’
    A few more seconds passed. The drumming persisted.
    ‘Go on,’ she urged. ‘After all, it could be a serious matter.’
    Reluctantly, I rolled out of bed and put some clothes on, then headed for the stairs. It wasn’t until I was halfway down that a thought occurred to me. Hadn’t I heard this sound somewhere before? I stopped and listened again. It had now become much more emphatic than it was earlier, and my suspicion increased. Moving more quietly I continued to make my way downstairs. With utmost stealth I slid aside the bolts at the top and bottom of the door. Then, very slowly, I opened it by about two inches. Through the crack I saw Steve Treacle, crouched down at the corner of the house, drumming on the wall with his knuckles. He was concentrating very hard on this activity, with his face close down by his hand, and didn’t notice me. I opened the door a little further. Standing about fifteen feet away, his collar turned against the wind, was Philip Sibling. He was watching Steve’s antics with a tired expression on his face. I managed to catch his eye, and he shook his head in a resigned manner. I put my finger to my lips. He nodded. I closed the door. Treading very lightly, I went to the point on the inside wall that corresponded with Steve’s position.
    I allowed him a few more seconds of drumming, then suddenly banged hard on the wall with a hammer.
    There was a startled cry.
    6
    Pulling my boots on, I went outside to greet my guests formally. Steve was now standing about six feet from the house with a surprised look on his face.
    ‘Made you jump, did I?’ I asked.
    ‘Yes,’ he replied.
    ‘Well, why can’t you just knock on the door like normal people?’
    ‘I was trying to wake you gradually, by degrees.’
    ‘It’s a tried and tested technique,’ added Philip.
    Each of them was wearing an identical heavy coat, but all the same I could see they were both quite chilly.
    ‘I’ve got a good mind not to invite you in,’ I remarked. ‘Now don’t forget to wipe your feet.’
    ‘Is that the latest rule then?’ asked Steve.
    ‘Yes,’ I said. ‘There’s a whole new regime here.’
    I hadn’t seen either Steve or Philip for quite a while, and it was good to renew the acquaintanceship. What seemed surprising, though, was the fact of their turning up together. I vaguely recalled Simon Painter mentioning that they’d become friends, but to tell the truth I’d thought this was just wishful thinking, as it fitted perfectly into his scheme for everybody to be friendly with everyone else. The thing I least expected was a joint visit from two individuals I regarded very much as ‘loners’.
    Besides, it had always struck me that Steve was the sort of person who’d tax anyone’s patience after a while. He had his own way of doing everything, even down to announcing his arrival at my house. Frankly, I was quite