“It must be telepathy,” Yael exclaimed. “I was just telling Teddy to give you a call. You’re barely half a minute ahead of us. It’s like this. Teddy and I are going to a conference at the Aircraft Industry. We can’t be back till this evening. I don’t know what time. Our neighbor is collecting Dimi from school and looking after him for the rest of the day. Could you be a dear and pick him up from her after work? Put him to bed and keep an eye on him till we get home? He’ll have had his supper, and he’s got the key in his pocket. What would we do without you? Sorry, I’ve got to hang up now. Teddy’s calling me from downstairs that they’ve come to pick us up. You’re wonderful. I’m off now. Thanks a million and see you late tonight. He can have half a Valium tablet if he can’t get to sleep. Help yourself to anything you fancy in the fridge.”

Fima cherished the words “see you late tonight,” as though they contained a secret promise. After a moment he laughed at himself for being so pleased, and set to work tidying the heap of newspapers and dusty magazines at the foot of his bed. But his glance fell on an old article by Yehoshaphat Harkabi and he started reading it and thinking about the failure of the Jewish revolt against the Romans. He thought the analogy with our own times was brilliant and original, if in some respects simplistic.