She felt uneasy and on the defensive as she always did when surrounded by a lot of Gardens. Their personalities were too strong; they oppressed her. But she remembered that Keats had written of himself, ‘When I am in a room with people … the identity of everyone in the room begins to press upon me, so that I am in a very little time annihilated,’ and she felt comforted because a great poet would have understood how she was feeling.

‘Therefore,’ went on Mr Marriot, ‘Dr Garden died intestate.’

Harry, who was sitting at the back of the room next to Francis, leaned across to his brother and whispered, looking interestedly at the carpet:

‘What’s intestate mean?’

‘He means Father didn’t make a will,’ hissed Francis, staring straight in front of him. ‘Shut up.’

‘But—’

‘All right. I know. Shut up.’

‘Under the new law regarding intestacy,’ went on Mr Marriot, ‘the estate of a person dying intestate is divided equally between the nearest of kin. In this case, therefore, Dr Garden’s estate will be divided into three portions for Miss Garden and her two brothers.

‘I think it only fair to prepare you by telling you’ (he was now speaking more directly to the three children) ‘that there will not be very much. Your father borrowed heavily on his insurance policies (strongly against my advice, I may say) some eighteen months ago, and consequently they will be of little value. There are also debts; quite considerable debts. When these are paid, I am afraid there may not be so much as a hundred pounds in cash between the three of you. But there is, of course, the practice. I do not know what your plans will be, but I presume that you will sell the practice, together with the contents of this house and your father’s car. The practice should realize quite a handsome sum, perhaps as much as three thousand pounds. That may seem a very large amount to you’ (his tone became a little dryer as he observed an expression of awe on Sophia’s face. He was surprised, but cynically pleased, to discover that this odd-looking girl did, after all, respect money and care for it. It was the first sign of humanity he had so far observed in her), ‘but I assure you that it is very little, as money is judged and used today. Even if it were most carefully invested (which I presume that it will be) it would not bring in enough for any one of you to live on in security, much less in comfort. And there is always, of course, the possibility that you may not find a purchaser – though, in view of the flourishing condition of the practice, I may say I think that is unlikely. I think, and I hope, that you will find a purchaser quite easily.’

His speech was over. He made a movement as though to sit down, glancing half-enquiringly round the silent room.