Chapter Twenty Four
Dumbeldalf's Cunning Plan

The next day’s agenda seemed destined for equal levels of disruption and further confrontations, which would almost certainly continue until the matter was somehow resolved, but when it finally dawned, Dumbledalf arrived at the hall to find that Vol-au-vent and his key staff had retired, and neither were his more junior supporters much in evidence. Without them present at the conference, Dumbledalf called a meeting at The Penny Farthing, a large and well-appointed self-catering guest house where the group was staying.

Over a mid-morning repast in the beer garden, the group’s thoughts turned to Hapless and Ro, who were planning to break into Vol-au-vent’s office in Morden College in an attempt to find and disable the Whore’s Crutch field generator for the new torus. With Vol-au-vent’s attention no longer focussed on the conference, there was an increased chance that the two heroes might be discovered. There was even the possibility that Vol-au-vent would return there and catch them. He knew that they would be careful, and what’s more, were wearing some nice camouflage-style outfits run up for them by Hagrigorn’s Auntie Glad on her knitting machine, but they were hardly invisible, and had no means of remaining unseen once they were on the premises. Dumbledalf decided that they should call Vol-au-vent to a make-or-break meeting on Saturday that would finally decide the identity of the new Vice Chancellor. They would all speak about their vision of future strategy, and jointly review the CVs of the candidates, before voting for the final choice. As candidates, both Hagrigorn and Vol-au-vent would leave the meeting during the voting itself. This meeting, Dumbledalf thought, would keep Rowling and his people occupied, but he would certainly use the torus to influence the meeting. The quest was resting on a knife edge, but with luck and cunning, Hapless and Ro would not be disturbed in their search of his office.

The day had dawned cold and rainy when Mary Poppins rose. Dumbledalf had left The Penny Farthing early, before anyone else was up. Theodore and the rest were still in bed, some of them together. “How does old Theodore do it?”, asked Mary in amazement. Poppins shrugged in reply.