Bessie leaves a message for Sir Archibald, trying to be cryptic but not too threatening; he calls her at the bookshop, and invites the group to dinner that evening. Various preparations are made.

At his house, after he’s introduced his wife, he shows the group to his “shed” (a well-equipped workshop in the garden); he’s constructed an electrical apparatus, which appears to be intended to control and divert flame (“it’s just ionised gas after all”). A core part of this is a baton about two feet long, which seems as though it might be symbolically appropriate. There are also many buckets of sand available (“I have a lot of experience with transformers”).

The apparatus is portable, but when the group mentions solar midnight, he decides to leave it where it is. They have a pleasant dinner (the Pages are experienced hosts) and get some rest.