Tally Ho!

    Towards the end of ‘Checkmate,’ Number 6 asked about his confederates, those who took part in the escape plan {even though most of them didn’t appear to do anything} “They’ll be back on the chessboard tomorrow” Number 2 informed him. But the Shopkeeper Number 19 wasn’t “back on the chessboard” because we never see him again. He is replaced with a weasel sort of character, Number 112 as the new shopkeeper.
    Number 6 leaves the Green Dome having been threatened by a sadist at the point of a sword, and now he begins to plot the downfall of Number 2. He stops by the General Store, in the bay window a banner proclaims how “Music makes for a quiet mind,” while a poster has it that “Music begins where words leave off,” and another “Music says all.” He goes inside, selects a copy of The Tally Ho and shows interest in the selection of records. Number 6 would like to hear l’arlesienne, ah the Davier recording, it takes a Frenchman. Number 6 wants to hear all six records, but he doesn’t listen to all six records, that would have taken him the better part of the morning to do that. He only listens to three, and only the first bars at that, well it wasn’t a very satisfactory recording. That was Number 6’s first act of jamming, this was his second.

     The question here is, not one of security, but how did Number 6 know that soon after he had left the General Store, the shopkeeper-Number112 would go running to Number 2 in order to report Number 6’s activities. Because there was Number 6, skulking by the corner of his cottage watching the shopkeeper hurrying away to make his report…..a report that would last most of the morning….so who was minding the shop?

   Perhaps he did something like this, sticking a paper bag on the door handle saying “Back soon.”

Be seeing you