A Bell Street clock repaired earlier this week is keeping correct time. Its bell is another matter. The clock rings normally when the workshop is empty. Whenever somebody stands beside it waiting for the chime, it remains silent. The clockmaker says this is coincidence. His neighbours have organised a test.
Six people waited at noon. Nothing happened. The neighbours have now proposed leaving one person hidden around the corner to catch the clock in the act. The clockmaker says this is not a recognised diagnostic method, though he has stopped saying that quite as confidently as he did yesterday. They left.
The clock rang twelve times. They returned. Silence. The clockmaker is now inspecting the trigger mechanism. One neighbour says the clock is “doing it on purpose.” The clockmaker says clocks do not do things on purpose. The clock rang once while he was saying this. Nobody is speaking confidently anymore.
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