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The factory owner, his hands clasped on the desk in front of him, allowed himself a pause for thought, and then said evenly, 'I don't recall the name.'

The Doctor swung round. 'Oh, come now, Mr Seers, you must do. He was one of your employees.'

'I have many employees,' Seers repeated stubbornly. 'I cannot be expected to remember -'

'He cut his hand. Badly. A few weeks ago. Blood all over the place. You dismissed him. Rather mean of you, wasn't it?'

'If you are going to become abusive, sir, then I think I am entitled to ask you to leave.'

The Doctor crossed the room and sat down again. He leaned forward, gazing earnestly into Nathaniel Seers's grey, almost silvery, eyes.

In a gentle, coaxing voice, he said, 'Something's troubling you, isn't it, Nathaniel? Why don't you tell me what it is? I can help you.'

Seers stared back. The Doctor thought how incredibly still and composed he was for a human. Like a lizard on a leaf. When he spoke, the only part of him that moved was his mouth.

'You are not only abusive, sir, you are presumptuous,' he said quietly.

'Yes, I'm sorry about that,' said the Doctor with a disarming grin.'Terrible habit of mine. I really must do something about it.'Then abruptly becoming serious once more, he said,'Tom Donahue was seen running from here last night. He was terrified out of his wits. He claimed that he'd seen something awful at the factory, something that had caused him to flee. You wouldn't know anything about that, I suppose, Mr Seers?' Seers gazed back at the Doctor, his features cast in stone. 'I would not, sir.'

'And then this morning his body was found in the Thames. He had been torn apart, almost completely devoured by some unknown creature. I don't suppose you would know what kind of creature would be capable of doing something like that to a man?'

'Of course not. I have no knowledge of such matters.'

'No, no, of course you don't,' said the Doctor as if he had been foolish.

'After all, why should you have?' He paused and then added, 'You don't seem very shocked by Tom Donahue's death, Mr Seers.'

'Why should I be? People die all the time. The fellow may have been in my employ, but as I have already told you, I did not know him personally.'

'But the manner of his death. Don't you feel compassion for the way he died? As a fellow human being?'

'Naturally,' said Seers with no feeling whatsoever.

'Naturally,' repeated the Doctor quietly. He stared hard at Seers's intertwined hands on the desk top. Throughout their exchange, not even one finger had given the minutest twitch.

'I wonder if I could have a look in your basement, Mr Seers?' the Doctor said with a winning smile.

This, at least, provoked a reaction, though not an extreme one. Seers's shoulders stiffened almost imperceptibly, his face adopting a wary expression.

His voice, however, was unchanged, each word like a chip of ice.'May I ask why?'

'Of course you may,' said the Doctor. 'Basements are very interesting things.Architecturally, culturally, criminally...'

'Criminally?' repeated Seers.

'Oh yes. All sorts of dark secrets are kept hidden away in basements.

Secrets you wouldn't believe... or perhaps you would.'

'What are you implying, sir?'

'Only that you seem like an open-minded kind of chap. Now, about this basement of yours...'

'I'm afraid that it is out of the question.The foundations are unsafe,' said Seers quickly.

'Oh, well, that's a pity. I'll just get my men to pop over instead then, shall I?

Give the place a thorough going-over? Would this afternoon be convenient for you, Mr Seers?'

'Are you possessed of cloth ears, sir? As I informed you mere seconds ago, the foundations of the place are unsafe.'

'Yes, but my men are experts, Mr Seers. Used to working in dangerous environments.They won't put themselves at risk, I assure you. And if there's anything to be found down there, they'll find it.'

Seers hesitated, trying to hide his