She said quietly as him Just because I can’t, or I’d lose my job.

He said Oh, and knocked out the pipe and filled it again with the cheap tobacco, his suit was frayed and the coat collar shiny, she saw, sitting away from him: funny she had never noticed these things before…. What’s happened, then?

She laughed and caught his shoulder Ewan! Don’t use that tone to me! EWAN!

His face was a stone, a stone-mason’s face, carved in a sliver of cold grey granite. You might as well tell me.

Suddenly frightened she stared at him, and told him she couldn’t do anything else. The Education Authority had got to hear and had put the choice plainly enough. She’d to sign a paper saying she’d take no more part in extremist activities and stop teaching the children—what she’d been teaching them. Oh, Ewan, I couldn’t help it!

—Does that mean you’ve left the Party as well as left off attending its meetings?

And then anger came on her: Yes, I’ve left the Party! And it wasn’t only that. I’ve left because I’m sick of it, full of cheats and liars, thieves even, look at Selden, there’s not one a clean or a decent person except you and perhaps Jim Trease. And I’ve left because I’m sick of being without decent clothes, without the money I earn myself, pretty things that are mine, that I’ve worked for…. Oh, Ewan, you know they’re hopeless, these people—the keelies remember you used to call them?—hopeless and filthy; if ever there’s anything done for them it’ll be done from above, not by losing onself in them…. Oh, CAN’T you see?

He nodded, not looking at her. And colour came back into Ellen’s cheeks—oh, he was going to understand! She leaned forward and told him all that she planned: he would get away from ridiculous jobs, Mr Quaritch had promised to find him another. They could save up like anything and get married in a year or so, have a dinky little flat somewhere in Craigneuks. Even that car down there at the inn—it had been hired with her money, hadn’t it? Well, they’d soon get one of their own, you couldn’t have any fun without money. And it needn’t mean they must give up social work completely, there was the Labour Party—

He stood up then, dark and slim, still a boy, and brushed her off carefully, and the snow from his knees: Go to them then in your comfortable car—your Labour Party and your comfortable flat. But what are you doing out here with me? I can get a prostitute anywhere.

She sat still, bloodless, could only whisper: Ewan!

He stood looking at her coolly, not angered, called her a filthy name, consideringly, the name a keelie gives to a leering whore; and turned and walked down the hill from her sight.

The extremists were getting out of hand again said the Daily Runner in a column and a half; and Duncairn was the centre of their sinister activities. There had been several strange and unexplained phenomena in the blowing up of the new wing of Gowans and Gloag’s: and though no definite charge might be laid at any door hadn’t there been similar occurrences abroad inspired by the Asiatic party of terrorism? And what had followed within a few months of the explosion?—a soldier of the North Highlanders arrested and court-martialled for circulating seditious literature in the barrack-rooms—an ex-employee of Gowans and Gloag’s. He had been dealt with with the severity appropriate to his case, but behind the muddled notions of Private Watson what forces were aiming at the forcible overthrow of Society and suborning the loyalty of our troops? It was true the soldiers had no sooner become aware of the contents of the leaflets than, with admirable promptitude, they had seized the culprit and marched him off to the guard-room. The tales of the barrack-room riots in his defence might be discounted as malicious gossip….