“Noisome” Aunt Penny howled, “It’s bloody noisome Harry. You should go out and get a proper job. I wanted your mother to get a proper job, but she wanted to be a whore!”

Harry, gaunt and pale, peered at her through the crack in the door “First, you’re not saying it right: it’s noise-some. Secondly I don’t think you even know what noisome means!” He slammed it.

Harry crossed the worn floor to the little table by his bed where an alembic gurgled. “Soon my brilliance will set me free of her. I’ll be rich! My synthetic vanilla is almost perfect.” Harry smiled at the thought.

Then, the clock struck three times softly. And as he did every day at this time Harry went directly out. He caught a cab down to Parsons lane. There, he strolled by the millinery several times, to frighten the girl working there.

When he returned home, Harry found the police. “Seems some poison gas seeped into the house. Sorry to say, your aunt’s quite dead” The sergeant said, sniffing.

“Perfect!” Said Harry with glee.