‘All right, James. Don’t start rattlin’ me, there’s a good chap. It’s only this. One of the boys over there said that during Questing’s speech he went up to a whare near the road. I’m afraid they’d got a keg of beer there stowed away for the evening. Young Eru Saul, it was. He said that some minutes later he heard a couple of pakehas having a fearful row. At least, one of them was abusin’ the other like a pickpocket and the other seemed to be half laughin’ and half jeerin’. “Made him get very angry” was the way Saul put it. He didn’t understand what it was all about but he listened to it until he heard one of them call the other a bloody liar (please forgive me, Agnes, I have been against your attendin’ this meetin’ from the beginnin’) and threatened to do something or another that Saul couldn’t catch. Then there was a long pause. He got tired of it and went back to the beer. He heard someone walk past the whare and went out to see who it was. Of course it was dark but he left the door open. They’re very careless about the blackout over there, my dear. I think we ought—’

‘Will you get on, Edward?’

‘Very well, James. The light from the door showed up this person and Saul said it was Gaunt. He said he’d recognized the angry voice as Gaunt’s as soon as he heard it and he’s quite certain the other man was Questing.’

III

During the next five minutes Dikon underwent as many changes of temperament as Gaunt himself at his worst. Incredulity, panic, sympathy, shame and irritation in turn possessed him as Gaunt first denied, then admitted and finally explained away his interview with Questing. He began by suggesting that the Colonel’s informant had either made up his story of a quarrel or else mistaken the principals. The Colonel remained unshaken.

‘I’m sorry,’ he said gently. ‘I don’t think there was any mistake, you know.’

‘The youth was probably tight. Isn’t he the fellow you’ve had to get rid of, Mrs Claire?’

‘Eru Saul? Yes, I’m afraid he really is an unsatisfactory boy. No home influence, alas. One of those unfortunate cases,’ said Mrs Claire meaningly. ‘We’ve tried to give him a good start but he’s drifted back. Such a pity, yes.’

Gaunt shook his finger at the Colonel: ‘You say yourself he’d been at the beer.’

‘Yes, I know I do, but he wasn’t a bit tight and I’m sure he believed he was speaking the truth.’