‘Really,’ Dikon cried, ‘you’re the most irritating girl in a quiet way that I have ever encountered. Why should you jump to the conclusion he did it? The man’s slightly tight anyway. See here, if Questing sent you the things, I’ll buy Wai-ata-tapu myself and run it as a lunatic asylum.’

‘How can you be so certain?’

‘It’s a matter of psychology,’ Dikon blustered.

‘If you mean he’s not the sort of person to do a thing like that,’ said Barbara with some spirit, ‘I think you’re quite wrong. You’ve seen how frightful his behaviour can be. He just wouldn’t know it isn’t done.’

Dikon could think of no answer. ‘I don’t know anything about that,’ he said disagreeably. ‘I merely think it’s idiotic to say he had anything to do with it.’

‘If you think I’m idiotic,’ said Barbara loudly, ‘I wonder you bother to mix yourself up in our affairs at all.’ And she added childishly in a trembling voice: ‘Anyway it’s quite obvious that you think I’m hopeless.’

‘If you want to know what I think about you,’ Dikon said furiously, ‘I think you deliberately make the worst of yourself. If you didn’t pull faces like a clown and do silly things with your voice you’d be remarkably attractive.’

‘Good Lord, that’s absolutely impertinent!’ cried Barbara, stung to anger. ‘How dare you,’ she added, ‘how dare you speak about me like that!’

‘You asked for an honest opinion…’

‘I didn’t. So you’ve no business to give it.’ As this statement was true Dikon made no attempt to counter it. ‘I’m uncouth and crude and I irritate you,’ Barbara continued.

‘Then stop talking!’ Dikon shouted. He did not mean to kiss her, he was telling himself. He had not even thought of doing so. It was by some compulsion that it happened, some chance touch upon an emotional reflex. Having begun, there seemed to be no reason why he should stop, though an onlooker in his brain was saying quite distinctly: ‘This is a pretty kettle of fish.’

‘You beast!’ Barbara muttered. ‘Beast! Beast!’

‘Hold your tongue.’

‘Barbie!’ called Mrs Claire. ‘Where are you?’

‘Here!’ shouted Barbara at the top of her voice.

By the time Mrs Claire came up to them Barbara was out of the car.

‘Thank you, dear,’ said her mother. ‘You needn’t have moved. I’m sorry I was such a long time. Mr Falls has been looking for Edward but I’m afraid he’s gone.’ She got in beside Dikon. ‘I don’t think we need wait. Jump in, dear, we mustn’t keep Mr Bell any longer.’