In which Capt. Pantling explains the difference between an advocate and a graphic designer, and has an unusual assignment for Tony.

“As you know," said Capt. Pantling, the advocates' clerk, "members of the legal fraternity are paragons of virtue; abstemious, pious and diligent. They work only for the betterment of mankind. The public at large see their extravagant fees as justified given their vast contribution to society. When one of our fraternity therefore has a lapse of judgement and abandons his socks and shoes in a public place, the whole fabric of that society risks collapse.

“You on the other hand, being an exponent of the arts, lack two brass farthings to rub together and have, I imagine, a strong interest in extorting a living wage from other more profitable sectors of society. Rather than discarding your socks and shoes it’s more likely they would walk off on their own accord, due to the fortifying effects of several years’ ingrained dirt. Should you have met with a similar fate to the Advocate General, society would not mourn your sanity’s passing because it was so utterly predictable.”

“My life sucks, yes,” I said. “But if you had a point there, I must have missed it.”

“From LeSnide’s diary I note two meetings with a ‘design interfacer,’ which include your number and the word ‘lackey’ next to it.”

“That’s me,” I sighed.

“I believe your interest in being renumerated for your work with LeSnide to be sufficiently strong for you to want to track him down. In a nutshell, Mr. Boaks, we want LeSnide returned to civilisation."