‘Hullo, Uncle, how do you do?’

‘I am a colander, dear Clod,’ he whispered.

‘Nothing like so bad, sir, more a pepper pot, few holes, just a few, closing up now.’

His smile was back with him. ‘You’re a good boy, Clod. I love you.’

‘Thank you, sir.’

‘The Gathering, Clod, the Gathering down below has grown so very big again, it is trying its hardest to get out. But you must not let it! If it gets out, if it joins with the rest of the heap beyond it shall become such a thing, such a huge monster, that it shall bring us all down.’

‘It shall be kept in. I am sure, sir, perhaps it has already been dismantled.’

‘Is Umbitt back?’

‘No, sir, I fear not.’

‘Umbitt, Umbitt would know what to do.’

‘There is a portion of a saucer, Cousin Governor,’ said Uncle Aliver, ‘still lodged inside your knee, I mean to take it out now. Clod, will you hold your uncle still?’

‘Clod, my love,’ said Idwid. ‘Clod, my ear, come close, come close now.’

I found myself very close to Uncle Idwid then, so much that his mouth and his teeth were just by my ear. I had seen him pick up Geraldine Whitehead and move it towards his own face, but I thought that was only for comfort’s sake.

‘This shall hurt a little,’ said Aliver further down.

‘Do not hesitate!’ called Idwid.

Aliver dug his knife in.

Idwid cried out and as he cried, Geraldine Whitehead closed its long jaws tight upon my ear.

‘Ah!’ I screamed.

‘Nearly there,’ said Aliver, ‘a little more.’

‘Ah!’ shrieked Idwid, clamping down all the harder on his Geraldine so that it began to cut into me now.

‘Uncle, please, sir!’ I cried.

‘Where is it?’ whispered Idwid into my clamped ear. ‘Where is the it? It’s with you, I think. It is known that you had a liking for it. What have you done with it? Tell me, dear, tell me, Clod, now!’

‘Hold tight!’ called Aliver.

‘Ah! Ah!’ shrieked Idwid and to counter his pain dug in the deeper with Geraldine. ‘Where now,’ he whispered, ‘have you put it? Is it here? Is it in this room even now? It is! It is, I’m sure of it! Under our noses! It! It! Get it out!’

‘Last bit now, and then all done. Once more!’ called Aliver.

‘It! It!’ cried Idwid, cutting my ear. But he had cut too far, Geraldine had slipped, it had torn my ear a bit and so doing lost its grasp. I had the wadding then in a moment and stuffed it over Idwid’s wide moon face, and the hand that raised Geraldine Whitehead withered slowly and cluttered bloody upon the table and Uncle Idwid was asleep with the chloroform.

‘All done,’ said Aliver, ‘well then, that wasn’t so bad after all, was it?’

‘I fear poor Uncle Idwid has fainted with the pain.’