noon
The police had , on the telephone , confirmed the story of a man having given himself up , and the whole adventure was , in the argot of Fleet Street , `` hot stuff . '' By half-past eleven the papers were selling in the streets , and the Professor was on his way to the police-court . He had been told the case would not come on before twelve . As his taxi threaded its way jerkily westward , he caught glimpses of the placards of the noon edition of _ The Evening Mail _ , bearing such sensational lines as : MESMERISM EXTRAORDINARY AN AMAZING CAPTURE ALLEGED BURGLAR HYPNOTISED He smiled pleasantly as he pictured his reception that evening , as an extra turn , at one of the big music-halls . He fell to speculating as to how much he should demand , and to which manager he should offer his services . `` The Napoleon of Mesmerists , '' was the title he had decided to adopt . Again the Professor smiled amiably as he thought of the column of description with headlines in _ The Evening Mail _ .