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She could easily have got one of the numbers wrong or misplaced.
    Across the room, I saw the hands of the clock were already at six-twenty. In just over half an hour’s time, James Fitzgerald would be arriving to sign the letters, and Ashford Aid would be taking the report, with the other letters in the Diplomatic Bag, to the airport.
    If only I could get hold of him now on the telephone, or even Mr. Green. He wouldn’t give me the number over the phone, but at least he’d come over straight away. But there-were so many things I didn’t know. I didn’t know where he lived, let alone his telephone number.
    Down the stairs I went to the guard and tried my Spanish again. Senor Green, Senor Ashford? He nodded profoundly. Clearly he knew them well. He went on nodding. ' Adonde viven ?’ I called quite frantically at him, but his dark brown eyes stared back at me blankly.
    I went behind the receptionist’s desk. There must surely be the staff telephone numbers somewhere displayed, but I could find nothing.
    I went to the first floor again, two steps at a time, back into the Ambassador’s office, and tried again—the number I was so sure it was, 3652531.
    But still, tighter than an oyster, the heavy lid stayed shut.
    I went on trying—and trying again. All sorts of combinations, wildly now, just on the off-chance, hoping and praying that somehow or other the lid would suddenly spring open.
    The only thing that did open was the door, and Ashford Aid’s cheery voice saying, ‘Whatever are you doing?’
    I was half-way through telling him when the door opened again.
    When I had last seen James Fitzgerald he had been relaxed and friendly. Now his face was heavy and unsmiling. Curtly he said to me, ‘I’ll sign the letters now, and let’s get the Report off.’
    Ashford Aid did his best for me. ‘I think she’s been having a little trouble with this box sticking.’
    ‘It’s never stuck before.’
    I blurted out the whole story of not being able to get the key out and so
    ‘My report has not been typed.’
    I hung my head, ‘I’m awfully sorry, but ’
    ‘Is it jammed, or what?’ He took hold of the knurled knob, rotated it expertly and in two seconds had the lid open.
    In a deadly quiet voice, he said, ‘What number were you trying?’
    Ashford Aid said, ‘She was trying 354—'
    ‘Let her answer, Ashford!’
    I said, ‘The number I was trying was 3652531.'
    ‘No wonder it wouldn’t open, then,’ his voice was icy, but his face had gone dark with anger, ‘when the number is 3545213.’
    ‘But ’
    ‘Miss Bradley ’ I could see he was furious even though he kept his voice as cold as steel. ‘You said that you had read, understood and could remember Miss Trent’s handing-over notes.’
    I felt my face had gone colourless and cold. My mouth was too dry to speak. I just nodded.
    ‘The number in the notes?’
    I nodded again. I managed to say, ‘But not that number. Miss Trent couldn’t have been feeling well and perhaps ’
    Even that sounded like sneaking or trying to shift the blame on to someone else, and clearly he thought that too. ‘It would be quite unlike Miss Trent to make a mistake like that, no matter how ill she was feeling.’
    He didn’t even wait for me. He said to Ashford, ‘You’d better take the bag now. The plane will be in in five minutes.’ Then together they went into Chancery, and a minute later I heard the gates clang shut again, the key turn, and Ashford going downstairs.
    Mr. Fitzgerald, however, came back into the office.
    He marched over and sat down in the Ambassador’s chair, deliberately keeping me standing.
    ‘But you, Miss Bradley,' he went on as though he had not been out of the room, ‘how are you feeling tonight? Still being affected by the altitude?’
    I shook my head.
    ‘But you made a mistake.'
    I shook my head again.
    ‘You must have done, Miss Bradley!'
    ‘I have a good memory and –'
    ‘Miss Bradley, you’re new and things are unfamiliar. The