She tried the books. She looked at the lines ruled through the sentences. She found one book with single words left unruled. After much effort, she put the sentence together which the book now consisted of; We have fled before them.

On one wall, the north, the books were readable. No one had taken up Sylvian’s work, despite the ominous ruler and ink, Rachaela left the house and went to the steps which led down to the beach.

The sea was in, turquoise green, foaming.

She turned back to the house and resumed searching. He was the oldest of them. He had the roots of things secreted in his mind. She could not go to Adamus.

What was Ruth doing? Perhaps asleep in bed. She had liked to lie in on Saturdays and Sundays. Sometimes sitting up to draw.

Rachaela lost herself in the house as if it were essential that she must. She found another door that would not open and knocked loudly on it. When she tried again the door gave suddenly as if it had decided of itself to let her in.

There was, inside the tall yellow bed, an old man, tucked up to the chin. Between the bed and the door, a splash of red and white on the room’s ochre. The rocking-horse.

‘Camillo?’

The pane of the old face turned, the long white hair fanning out on the pillow.

One must be careful, too, of intentions among the Scarabae. She had meant to find him, and she had.

‘I’ve been looking for you,’ said Rachaela.

She advanced slowly. Had he come to this after all in the twelve years, the couch of age and decrepitude? There was no smell of the invalid in the room.

‘Camillo,’ she said again.

He looked at her. His eyes were sharp as knives.

‘One night,’ he said, ‘the mob came. They shouted round the house and the servants ran to my mother, they were so frightened. My father picked me up. ‘Get dressed,’ he said, ‘put on your warmest things.’ Outside the sleigh was ready and the horse to pull it. They had taken off the bells. My father used the whip. We started at such a speed. I remember the white snow splashing up like a wave.’

‘I don’t want to hear this,’ Rachaela said quietly.