Dikon stood for a moment watching them fade into wraiths as they turned into the Springs’ enclosure. He lit a cigarette and was about to strike out for the hill when he heard his name called softly.

‘Dikon!’

It was Barbara in her red flannel dressing-gown and felt slippers, running across the pumice in the moonlight. He went to meet her. ‘You called me by my first name,’ he said, ‘so perhaps you’ve forgiven me. I’m sorry, Barbara.’

‘Oh, that!’ said Barbara. ‘I expect I behaved stupidly. You see it hasn’t happened to me ever before.’ And with an owlish imitation of somebody else’s wisdom she quoted: ‘It’s always the woman’s fault.’

‘You little goat,’ said Dikon unsteadily.

‘I didn’t come out to talk about that. I wanted to ask you what’s happened.’

‘Hasn’t your father—?’

‘He’s talking to Mummy. I know by his voice that it’s something frightful. They won’t tell me, they never do. I must know. What are you all doing? Why are you out here? Uncle James has brought his car round and I saw Sim and Mr Smith go out together. And when I met him on the verandah he looked so terrible. He didn’t answer when I spoke to him—just walked away to his room and slammed the door. It’s something to do with what we heard, isn’t it? Please tell me. Please do.’

‘We think there may have been an accident.’

‘To whom?’

‘Questing. We don’t know yet. He may have just wandered off somewhere. Or sprained his ankle.’

‘You don’t believe that.’ Barbara’s arm in its red flannel sleeve shot out as she pointed to the hill. ‘You think something’s happened, out there. Don’t you? Don’t you?’

Dikon took her by the shoulders. ‘I’m not going to conjure up horrors,’ he said, ‘before there are any to conjure. If you take my tip you’ll follow suit. Think what a frightful waste of the jim-jams if we find him cursing over a fat ankle, or if he merely went home to supper with the Mayor. I’m sure he adores mayors.’

‘And so, who screamed?’

‘Seagulls,’ said Dikon, shaking her gently. ‘Banshees, Maori maidens. Go home and do your stuff. Make cups of tea. Go to bed. Men must search and women must sleep and if you don’t like me kissing you don’t look at me like that.’

He turned her about and shoved her away from him. ‘Flaunting about in your nightgown,’ he said. ‘Get along with you.’

He watched her go and then, with a sigh, set out for the hill.