5.6: An urgent confab at the Potting Shed

Masongill, Lottie and pTravis decide to consult Lottie’s tutor and the Potting Shed’s resident ‘brain-box’, Hipparchus, to try to shed light on the casket’s contents. Lottie hangs back because she thinks she sees quite enough of her tutor every morning but the others press him with questions. 

What is the Order of the Sponge? How old is it? What is the meaning of sponges and irons and the picture of the saint? Is it just a coincidence that Juggins’ choice of profession - being a traveling valet - also relied on the sponge and the iron? Or might Juggins actually and really have been a Chevalier of the Order of the Sponge, all along? 

Hipparchus promises that he will contact his old college colleagues and see what he can find out, though he is sure he won’t be able to answer their final question.

“Fat lot of good asking stuffy college dons will do!” remarks Lottie, with typical candour, as they go outside to mull things over. 

“They might not be the only people he asks,” replies pTravis. “He might, for example, ask people at GCHQ.” 

“No way people like that would talk to him!” 

“They might. I don’t think he was only an academic research fellow. I don’t think he’d be here, almost hiding with us, if that’s all he did.” 

“No way!” repeats Lottie with the limited vocabulary of youth. “Teach is a spook! Teach is a spook!” 

“Shh now. If he were one, I don’t think he’d like it broadcast.” 

“Ok” says Lottie thoughtfully, as though starting to see her ‘boring old tutor’ in a new light.