into his bed-room, and returned with the water-jug. An iron ladder
from the main staircase led through a trap-door in the roof. GIDLING
went up this ladder with the water-jug, while I waited to see the
result in the sitting-room, I could hear him walking about on the
roof, and I looked out for a deluge of water to descend down the
chimney into the fire-place. But no deluge came. Presently GIDLING
descended and entered the room with the empty water-jug.

"Did it splash much?" he asked. "No, there was no water came down at
all."

"Oh? Then I've emptied this water-jug down the wrong chimney. We'd
better clear out of this."

At this juncture HANKIN returned, and GIDLING said a good deal to him.
HANKIN was left to put out the fire, and we went back again to the
Club. GIDLING seemed rather annoyed with me for laughing about his
mistake.

"It's a deuced awkward thing," he said. "That water went down
somebody's chimney, and it's put somebody's fire out. That means
unpleasantness, you know, if he or she finds out who did it."

"Who live in the flats below yours?" I asked.

"An Art-student and her mother in the flat below mine--they are really
most charming people, and I hope to goodness it wasn't their chimney
that I poured the water down. I'm on rather friendly terms with them.
Then on the first floor there's BUDWELL. He's a conceited affected
ape. I only hope it was he who got the benefit of that water-jug. It's