“You were right. Health is important for sure… In my view, the essential thing in a race is not to start too fast, so that you don’t run out of steam… It’s the same thing with a school year.” (I hoped he’d appreciate the comparison.) “Can I go now, because it’s getting dark…”

“No more nonsense then, I don’t want to hear your name coming up again. No more of that vulgar language. Otherwise I’ll have to call your father and he won’t be happy.”

“You’re right about that.”

I left his office, but with all that carry-on I’d missed the school bus. From a distance I could see Haisam and his father settling down to a game of chess in the lodge. I felt like going to watch them and stuffing myself with Turkish delight to take my mind off things. There’s nothing like chess for that, but I thought I’d better go home, because I’d made enough of a spectacle of myself for one day. The Honourable Egyptian noticed me and raised his big hand in greeting. His horn-rimmed glasses always made him look infinitely serene, like a large placid owl.

I walked home just as the sun was beginning to set behind the trees, along the edge of the little wood that fringed the road. It was there, right in amongst the trees, that our biology teacher kept a little pond where he could observe tadpoles and frogs. Last year, I’d had the bright idea of pouring some washing-up liquid into the water. This killed some of the frogs, which were found floating face-up, and meant the rest failed to develop properly. I swore to Lucky Luke that an amphibian massacre wasn’t at all what I’d intended, but he only partly believed me. To make amends and to prove my love of nature, I’d had to look after the pond for half the Christmas holidays. Later in the year, after all that, Monsieur Dubois made us study frogs’ reflexes. He dissected one of the creatures and fixed electrodes all over it. So much for the lecture about respect for frogs and love of animals in general, that’s all I can say.

I walked on down the hill and passed the big houses at the entrance to the village. And then just before the church I saw one of the girls in my class. Marie… Marie something, I couldn’t remember. I thought about turning back, because to be honest, I’d had enough… But since she was also heading towards the village and I was already late, I just slowed down to avoid catching up with her. In the end it was she who turned round: when she saw me, instead of scuttling off as I’d have expected, she stopped and waved at me. I was trapped.

“Do you think it’s going to snow today?” she asked.