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"Of course" Mr Whit "In fact, you can change your clothes there You won’t beanyone in the past What year shall we send you to?"

"Makes no difference if I’m shut up in a cellar, does it?" I said

"Let’s see, it has to be a year when you can land in … er, in the aforesaid cellar without any probleht after 1945--for a few years before that, the cellars were used as air raid shelters How about 1974? The year when I was born, a good year" He laughed "Or shall we try 30 July 1966? That’s when England beat Germany in the World Cup final But I don’t suppose you’re very interested in football, are you?"

"Particularly not when I’round level," I said wearily

"It’s all done for your own safety" Mr Whithed

"Hold on abeside me "I can’t quite keep up with all this Does it et into a time machine now and disappear into the past?"

"Yes, exactly," I told hio for the year 1948," said Mr Whitman happily "The year of the London Oly ahead, so he couldn’t see irlfriend I’ve found ht I detected a note of respect in his voice

THE ROOM where the chronograph was kept was deep underground, and although I’d always been brought down here and led up again blindfolded, by now I had some idea where it was If only because in both 1912 and 1782 I’d been allowed to leave the room without a blindfold When Mr Whit rooan to seem quite familiar, and it was only at the end of it that I felt Mr Whit an extra detour to confuse me

"He really piles on the suspense, doesn’t he?" said Xemerius "Why did they hide this time machine down in a deep, dark cellar?"

I heard Mr Whit to soain behind us, and Mr Whitht A red-haired youngbeside Mr Whit with excite his head back through the closed door, just for fun, while the rest of him was here in the room with us

"Thickest walls I ever saw," he said when he reappeared "So thick they could have walled up a bull elephant here sideways, if you see what I mean"

"Gwyneth, this is Mr Marley, Adept First Degree," said Mr Whitman "He’ll wait here for you to coain Mr Marley, this is Gwyneth Shepherd, the Ruby"

"It’s an honor to meet you, Miss Shepherd" The redheada bit embarrassed "Er … pleased toto an ultrahts I hadn’t noticed it on my last two visits to this room It was hidden behind a tapestry on the wall embroidered hat looked like scenes out of hts on horseback with plumed hel a half-naked young on As Mr Whitman tapped a sequence of numbers into the keypad of the safe, Mr Marley discreetly looked down at the floor, but you couldn’tout anyway, because Mr Whitman’s broad back hid the display froently, and Mr Whit and put it on the table

Mr Marley held his breath in surprise

"This is Mr Marley’s first sight of the chronograph in action," said Mr Whit aton the table "Take that just in case there’s any probleht So you needn’t be afraid of the dark"

"Thanks" I wondered whether to ask for an insecticide spray as well An old cellar was bound to be full of creepy-crawlies--and what about rats? It wasn’t fair, sending me off all on my own "Please could I have a stout stick too?"

"A stick? Gwyneth, you’re not going to meet anyone there"

"But there could be rats--"

"Rats are more scared of people than vice versa, believe raph out of its velvet cloth "Impressive, don’t you think, Mr Marley?"

"Yes, sir, very impressive, sir" Mr Marley stared at the device in awe

"Sucking up!" said Xeree?"

"I’d have expected it to be larger, I must say," I said "And I wouldn’t have expected a time machine to look so like a h his teeth "And look at those clunking great rocks! If they’re real, I’raph did have ge like the croels in ae device

"Gwyneth has opted for the year 1948," said Mr Whit and whirring "What was going on in London at the time, Mr Marley, do you know?"

"The Olympic Games, sir," said Mr Marley

"Show-off!" said Xeood" Mr Whithtened up "Gwyneth will arrive at twelve noon on the twelfth of August and spend exactly a hundred and twenty minutes there Are you ready, Gwyneth?"