But luckily he soon got it going again, to the accompaniment of Damien's falsely compassionate advice, just in time for the hero to get up off his back and make magnificent double play—his right-hand gun dropped the man with the Winchester three floors to the street, while his left sent the man behind the fluttering shade bouncing onto the porch roof of the feed store, and from there into a horse trough. Then the hero leaped onto his horse from behind and rode off into the sunset, to the mighty applause of all.

'Well! A happy ending for a change!' Ann said, as Damien switched on the lights.

'I give it a six,' Damien said.

Ann smiled and shook her head. 'You're too young to be so cynical.' She stood up and stretched. 'Who wants a corned beef sandwich?'

'One!' Richard raised his hand.

'Two!' added Damien.

'I know Mark will want one,' Ann said, and she left to go to the kitchen to prepare them.

In the projection booth, Mark was carefully rewinding the film, trying not to get it caught again. In the den, Damien was folding up the screen to put it away, while Richard set up the backgammon board.

When the doorbell rang, interrupting them, Richard and Damien shared a 'Who could that be?' look. Damien shrugged; 'I'll get it,' he said, and headed for the front door.

***

Charles Warren stood there, cold and covered with snow. In his hands he held Bugenhagen's manila envelope. He was trembling, and not entirely from the cold. He had just read something that scared him—literally almost to death.

Warren nearly fainted when the front door opened and he saw Damien before him. He tried to smile, but Damien sensed something immediately and was instantly on guard.

'Hello, Dr Warren,' he said tersely.

'Well, hello, Damien.' Warren was obviously trying to keep his voice under control. 'Would you tell your father I'd like to see him, please?'

'Is he expecting you?' Damien was cool, formal, not giving an inch.

'Just tell him I'm here, please,' Warren said, a hint of steel coming into his voice.

Damien hesitated for an instant, then said, 'Come in.'

Warren stepped into the hallway, and Damien shut the door behind him. ‘I'll tell him you're here,' he said, and he walked back to the den. Warren shook the snow off his jacket, and waited, trying to think of what he was going to say.

'It's Dr Warren,' Damien told his father. 'He wants to see you.'

'Charles?' said Richard, both pleased and surprised. 'Great! Send him in!'

But Warren, unable to wait any longer, had already entered the room behind Damien.

'Ask your mother to make another sandwich for Dr Warren,' Richard said to Damien, who left the room without another word, shutting the door firmly behind him.

***