As he walked along the verandah his great-granddaughter, Huia, flew out and excitedly rang the dinner bell in his face. He gave her a good-natured buffet and struck for home. Dikon, looking startled, came out on the verandah followed by Gaunt. Huia, over-stimulated by her first view of the celebrity, flashed her eyes, laughed excitedly and continued to peal her bell until Barbara took it away from her.

‘I think that must be dinner,’ said Mrs Claire with a bright assumption of surprise, while their ears still rang with the din. She turned with poise towards Gaunt. ‘Shall we go in?’ she asked gently, and they formed up into a kind of procession, trailing after each other towards the dining-room door. At the last moment Simon appeared, as usual from the direction of the cabins, where he had a sort of workshop.

But the first night’s dinner was not to go forward without the intrusion of that particular form of grotesque irrelevance which Dikon was learning to associate with the Claires, for, as Gaunt and Mrs Claire approached the front door, a terrific rumpus broke out in the kitchen.

‘Where’s the Colonel?’ an agitated voice demanded. ‘I’ve got to see the Colonel.’

Smith, dishevelled and with threads of blood crossing his face, blundered through the dining-room from the kitchen, thrust Gaunt and Mrs Claire aside, and seized the Colonel by his coat lapels. ‘Here,’ he said, ‘you’ve got to do something. You’ve got to look after me. He tried to kill me.’

Chapter 4
Red for Danger

Dikon, mindful of his only other encounter with him and influenced by an exceedingly significant smell, came to the conclusion that Mr Smith was mad drunk. Perhaps a minute went by before he realized that he was merely terrified. It was obvious that the entire Claire family made the same mistake for they all, together and severally and entirely without success, tried to shut Smith up and hustle him away into the background. Finally it was Dr Ackrington who, after a sharp look at Smith, said to his brother-in-law: ‘Wait a minute now, Edward, you’re making a mistake. Come along with me, Smith, and tell me what it’s all about.’

‘I won’t come along with anyone. I’ve just been along with someone and it’s practically killed me. You listen to what I’m telling you! He’s a bloody murderer.’

‘Who is?’ asked Simon from somewhere in the rear.

‘Questing.’

‘Smith, for God’s sake!’ said the Colonel, and tried to lead him away by the elbow.

‘Leave me alone. I know what I’m talking about. I’m telling you.’

‘Oh, Daddy, not here!’ Barbara cried out, and Mrs Claire said: ‘No, Edward, please. Your study, dear.’ And, as if Smith were some recalcitrant schoolboy, she repeated in a hushed voice: ‘Yes, yes, much better in your study.’