New York: The Hampton Publishing Company / William Morrow, 1944. Hardcover first edition - A scarce classic locked room mystery from the Golden Age of detective fiction, featuring Sir Henry Merrivale and his long-time associate, Scotland Yard's Chief Inspector Humphrey Masters and set against the backdrop of blackouts and bombings in the early days of the London Blitz. "Patience" is tree-snake from Borneo, and when it appears that Benton, the director of the Royal Albert Zoological Gardens has committed suicide, his daughter is sure that he did not do it, because "he wouldn't kill Patience."