‘Hello, Maisie! Sorry I’m late. I had to call an ambulance for Mr Wilson and I couldn’t leave him, and that’s put me behind. I’m sorry. I’ll run your bath.’ And with that, she rushed off into the bathroom.

I gave the kitchen floor a wash, checked the contents of Maisie’s fridge, examining the sell-by dates for anything life-threatening, and then sat down with her to sort out her shopping list. ‘How about a new pair of slippers?’ I suggested. ‘Something with a bit more grip?’

Leaving Maisie soaking in the bath under the watchful eye of Maria, I set off for town with Jacko on the lead. Once outside of his own territory, Jacko is not too bad with people. But he seriously objects to sharing his pavement with other dogs or anything on wheels. Before we’d reached our destination he’d launched a yapping assault on a girl pushing twins in a buggy, frightened a kiddie on a tricycle, and given a nasty shock to an elderly spaniel and its equally elderly owner. By the time I’d dragged him around the shops in search of Maisie’s ham and lettuce, I was fed up with apologising for him and tied his lead to a hook in the wall opposite Mr Singh’s so I could go in and buy her jar of Ovaltine and bag of lemon drops in peace.

‘I won’t get you your pig’s ear if you don’t behave,’ I threatened him darkly.

Suddenly he began to growl, deep in his throat, not his usual jaunty posturing, but a primeval rumble of fear and loathing. I saw Micky rounding the corner, dressed in his woolly hat, ancient mac belted round with string, and I understood. For where there was Micky, inevitably, a few moments later, there would be Duke.

Micky was a gentleman of the road − by choice, rather than the vagaries of fate − and roamed the moor at will, dossing down in a variety of hideaways of his own construction and shying away from people in general. He came down into town only when necessity compelled him. If he was heading to Mr Singh’s, he was probably in need of some Rizlas for his roll-ups.

He raised a hand to me in silent greeting. A while ago he’d been involved in a misunderstanding with the police about the ownership of some recreational drugs, and had spent a month inside. I’d gone up on to the moor every day to find Duke and feed him.