CHAPTER FOUR
After I had settled Sid and Arthur down and they had drunk their tea and eaten their scones a discussion started about how they should make contact with the Hoo spy.
“So where is this spy then Betti?” asked Arthur in his usual pompousness.
“The … factory.”
“The … factory?” queried Sid, “hasn’t the Author decided what kind of factory it is yet? He usually uses three periods when he can’t decide on a name.”
“Full stops,” corrected Arthur, “periods is an Americanism.”
“ooOOoo,” ooOOooed Sid, “the American market is the biggest buyer of the Author’s books, he has to put some Americanisms in.”
“That sounds a bit like…” began Arthur but couldn’t really think of anything funny to say.
“He named the IPP agent Forditz after four dots, when he couldn’t think of a name,” explained Sid.
“So Forditz really means four-dots,” mused Tresham.
Arthur spoke to Betti, “What do you call the factory Betti?”
“Dot’s factory, Dot is the female owner and it is she who is the spy. She makes microdots.”
“Sheesh,” sheeshed Sid, “Dot the dotty micro dotter.”
“Lots of Ds in that,” commented Arthur.
“A bit like somebody with a cold commenting on the amount of bees in a bee hive,” said Sid.
Arthur looked at Sid disdainfully, but Sid didn’t mention dissing full Danes.
