PB volunteered to take over where JG-T left off. I sent him the instructions to meet in a quiet corridor of the British Library. He should bring all the equipment, including the foreign coins parcelled up in stapled packs made from old brown envelopes. I was very excited as I travelled to the venue for our midnight rendezvous.

I was so disappointed when I reached ‘our’ corridor. PB was nowhere to be seen. He had bottled out.