No.42

  This is No.42 he is painting a yellow archway in ‘Checkmate,’ and is questioned by No.6 and the Rook about his paint work.

    “What do you think?”
    “Something wrong sir?”

    “You paint this?”

    “Well yes, if its not satisfactory…..”
    “Yes?”
    “………I’ll do it again.”
    “I’m satisfied, are you?”
    The Rook “Yes.”
    “Carry on Forty-two we’ll be in touch with you.”

    But someone clearly wasn’t satisfied with 42’s work, because the next day when No.6 approaches him to give the signal “Tonight at moonset Rook to Queen’s pawn Six, check” 42 is still painting that arch! On the other hand, it might simply be the case that 42 was spinning the job out, making the job last!
   One final thought. If this is No.42, what happened to poor old Dutton, not to mention this painter chap who doesn’t appear to have been returned the chessboard! Because by the time of ‘A Change of Mind’ No. 42 is a young woman who is always in tears, who later becomes a member of the Ladies sub-appeal committee!

Be seeing you