Sometimes, in his own mind, Keele referred to himself as 'The Booking Clerk'. This was a rather macabre private joke, since the tickets he issued were all one-way. Yet whatever he was called, his was a profitable occupation. The time came, however, when he wished to leave it. Miss Rona Wickham had entered his life, and the role he played hitherto was incompatible with his association with her. Unfortunately, he found that when it came to the point, getting out was not as easy as he had hoped.