“That’s a shame,” he said, “because I was planning to introduce you to the secrets of the Sicilian Defence.”

It was obvious that the whole school was now conspiring to make a fool of me but I pretended not to notice. “Maybe tomorrow,” I suggested.

“Impossible. Tomorrow’s Saturday.”

“So?”

“So it’s the Sabbath. And on the Sabbath you’re not allowed to do anything.”

“But you’re an Egyptian, an Honourable Egyptian. And your father’s a Turk, a Turk from Istanbul.”

“From Galata, actually. And anyway what’s that got to do with it?”

I couldn’t think of a satisfactory answer, and in any case my mind was on other things. Haisam opened the door to the lodge. Inside, his father, wearing his fez, was kneading bread. Before shutting the door on me, my Honourable Egyptian said, “I have the feeling that your haste to leave school has something to do with your triumph today.” He looked at me with his X-ray eyes. I felt sure he could see through to my skeleton.

“What if it has?” I replied, just like that, without thinking.

He nodded slowly, as if to say it was a good answer, and it sent shivers down my spine, because he made me feel taller.

I ran all the way to the village to be sure I wouldn’t miss her. I didn’t have the patience to wait all weekend to get this thing sorted. I felt like going back into the church to pray that she would be on her own, but twice in such a short space of time would undoubtedly have looked suspect, up there on high, where they can be touchy about etiquette. I crossed my fingers instead. When she appeared, on her own, with her foamy mop of hair, I practically threw myself at her. She jumped, startled.

“Hey, you frightened me. Are you OK?”

“No.”

“Oh, why’s that? You’ve had a good day, what with all the compliments you got.”

“That’s just the trouble.”

“What on earth’s the matter with you? Explain yourself.”

I felt irritation creeping over me, but I was anxious to rein it in, because there was nothing to stop her dumping me right there and heading straight home. Also, it was important to explain the situation with precision and clarity – two essential qualities you need to have in life, so Dad had told me. I noticed she’d taken off her big ring.

“Don’t pretend you don’t understand. You know exactly what kind of a mess I’m in.”

She sat down on the bench in front of the church.

“Tell me then, but make it quick. Because I’ve got to go home.”

“All right, well then, today I got a better mark than you…”

“Yes, I made a mistake in the last step.”