Miss inter did not comment on my communications or, tain s as I am certain ts I requested o me  . I  cing, ory” s on t of letters from Mr. Lomax and sent my request for o t, s a  only picked up ory , as tal excion were happening.

    C Isabelle, to all practical purposes we  wo years before, and so ss.

    Joed by Cer’s. C ric, a , but er of times a year, at time of asking, o keep ticking over. And no hey do for money?

    Joed on cleaning up ters—“It’ll make us all ill ot on teps outside, draook long batill it glowed pink. rils.

    And iced  track of ables o a mustom of t tc y, pulling potatoes from tables in er, peeling ttling pan lids at tove. e ate good meat or fisy of vegetables, drank strong,  tea. t in c sense t to be asks. After t fell, t talking over tcable.   would become of us all?

    ‘Don’t he Missus said.

    Come out? Jo tten already?”

    ‘Gone!“ She shook her head and laughed as if he’d made a joke.

    At t s learned t of Cure, it arily but  found a place to settle taired s but also , rail of t, s to tunnels t opened beneat, came to vague, semipuzzled s: asn’t t ser, srapdoor in time,  even realizing it, into t of o grieve for  wife.

    ‘I kno  of take t to ’ll do trick. In fact, I’ll go and look in on the baby now.“

    Jo explain to  Isabelle  ricken surprise and a demand to knoell me Miss Isabelle o tes on  tered corridors of t, grieving over tragedies long gone as terday, and oday’s sorro to go t again.

    Slo of ting one foot painfully in front of t of to see to t, op   be his head in his hands and sighed.

    to do? About C t everyt  preoccupation. At ts  of tion. No reports of Cside tlike s, no one o discover ion, Joo inform anyone—tor? tor?—of Curned tion in ime o be no. A man  rigo leave o go  telling ination. t Joelling tor, ion in t not ill, and as for tor…

    loud greed.

    For if C return, or … ance ural. At Angelfield to ter sider to enter t e mistrust of solicitors. Jo Mr. Lomax,  in o confide ty to a member of a profession t made its living from s nose in ote affairs. And besides, if Crangeness already or be content to put  so t Joinue to pay t solicitors to kno it  be as simple as t. Joing o every dark corner and carefully cultivated so it.

    And tor o come to to see t rig on tor being called in. And to to Isabelle. Saken away.  do any good?

    No. t got rid of one outsider; it ime to invite in anoto deal e tely. , no they were, by himself.

    t recent  entirely  money. Also, er  collecting  cas e for it and t desperate. to pay for a lot of food, since tables and fruit to feed an army in t. And if it came to it, if ty (Jo  by t t a calamity? as it possible t  cases of claret out of turn.

    ‘e’ll be all rig,“ old tte, one nigc knoo see.“

    It ing pretense at conversation; ing straig t of talking to oo long in o be given up liginued to sit across table in tcs, s of rying to find tion bet too complex for o navigate, and t led o t he darkness.

    food coming from tc up meat on te and put tiny forkfuls in  ea and made freser, but ten ones  tied in tood in ttic, looking at tco get t sorted,”  it  raining muc  sno  could . to do. s and clotiff and sticky s and plucked ps and roasted t needed to be done.  a imes.

    From time to time  opiary garden, but le could not enjoy it. t  properly required more time to give it. In t of t  up c  go.

    Once  used to it, tain comfort in our neence. tantial and discreet source of ime  by, our o feel sustainable. Better really if C to stay absent. Unfound and unreturning, neito anyone.

    So I kept my knoo myself.

    In ttles, it er Isabelle aken to t till; I kneers on  old needle.

    It  masked trance into air s tenness, and te ts. It was C.

    I backed out of t caring about ttles and t  to get a of  ayed  seemed impossible to escape are.

    o find comfort?

    ttle olen food t ting my breato ordinary life. And ood looking in, at a ing. t knoale.

    I cil tbeat returned to normal.

    I o Angelfield. And I didn’t tell. e ter off as  couldn’t make any difference to ?

    of my gs.

    It seemed to me t tor’s car er’s drive.  arrived in Yorks became every oto tudied Miss inter carefully. I knes. Miss inter er elling me ory so drarengt ed by age and illness. I explained telling myself it ancy of tor’s attention t aining her.

    And yet in o my eyes, s e seriously. For ed announcement one morning? Quite out of told me t Miss inter oo uno meet me. t for a day or tervie o do ake a s holiday.

    ‘A er t my going a time, I  to send me an a mas only a feoo!“

    t fortion. Somet riged out of the way.

    ‘I can pack a case for you, if it would ically, knowing I knew shing.

    ‘I can do my o.

    ‘It’s Maurice’s day off, but Dr. Clifton o tation.“

    Poor Judited deceit and  subterfuge.

    ‘And Miss inter? I’d like a quick h her. Before I go.“

    ‘Miss inter? I’m afraid she…“

    ‘on’t see me?“

    “Can’t see you.” Relief flooded y rang out in  last so say sometrue. “Believe me, Miss Lea. S can’t.”

    ever it  Juditon kne, too.

    ‘s in Cambridge is your fated to kno all?“ I anser a time tempts at small talk came to an end. As o e, tmosper’s oppressive silence.