Well, Bob Admitted That He Was a Recidivist

Bob had just finished with the razor, and was now using the scissors on Fred's hair, so he (Fred) was able to say: "Wait a minute, Bob. What has this to do with Lord Bellephron's manor?"

"Oh, no!" Bob said. He sounded appalled. "A terrible continuity error, right at the start! Whatever was I thinking of, trying to tell you a tale? Telling them is no better than writing them down. You mustn't let me free, Lord Fred. I'm a menace."

Fred still couldn't see what harm telling stories with bad continuity could do, but he didn't want his barber to be this agitated. At best he could finish with a bad haircut, at worst have his throat cut. So he said reassuringly: "All right, Bob. If you want to stay in jail then you shall."

"Oh, thank you, Lord Fred!" Bob said, sounding mightily relieved.

Meanwhile Astra had suddenly found herself in a small windowless room on her own, without any idea of how she had got there. Bewildered, she looked around her. The room was adequately lit, though she couldn't tell how since no torches or candles were to be seen. Along one wall was a large set of "pigeon holes". Each receptacle had a piece of paper in it.

Spotting the door, she tried it, but it seemed to be locked. She banged on it and shouted: "Let me out!"

A voice came from the other side of the door: "What's your excuse?"

"I beg your pardon?" Astra queried.

"You can't come out without the right excuse. You'll find them all in the pigeon holes."

Astra took a piece of paper out of one of the receptacles. Sure enough, it had an excuse written on it. She read out: "Please can I be excused gymnastics? I have a cold."

"No, that's not right at all," the voice said. "Try again."

Astra had an idea. She wouldn't bother with the written excuses. Instead she said: "Please can I be excused? I have to visit the privy."

"No extemporising, please," the voice said. "One of the written excuses is sure to be the right one. After all, there are several hundred for you to choose from."

1. Eventually Astra finds the right excuse.
2. Before Astra can find the right excuse, Reaibn arrives to help her.
3. Meanwhile, Fred...

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