‘Oh, quick, then, and thank you, a million thanks.’

‘We’ll not let Moorcus ruin another thing.’

So we hurried down the marble staircase to the Grand Grandfather before the gong sounded, tiptoeing past Grandmother’s porter snoozing at his desk, he who admitted or refused entrance to Grandmother’s wing beyond. Towards the bottom, at the turn of the stairs, was the Grand Grandfather, a very considerable timepiece originally from a blacking factory in Tooting, with a huge face and a long body, and a door into its workings; a case large enough for two people to hide themselves inside and whisper. There waited Tummis within the clock, and I stood a little way away endlessly tying my shoelaces and doing what I could to appear innocent. A slight creak in the stair, a mumbled name from a covered object, and a light small personage appeared, saw me and was about to run away or else burst into a thousand pieces at the embarrassment of it all.

‘It’s all right, Ormily,’ I said, ‘go in, he’s waiting, I’m keeping watch.’

And in she went, her cheeks a red beacon, and the door shut behind her. I crouched and waited. They shouldn’t be more than a minute or two; very soon the staircase would be clacking under the weight of Iremongers all rushing for Evensong. I kept there, crouching, listening out for anyone coming, but hearing nothing at first except the small whispering of a gas lamp kept just beside the enormous tickage and this I heard at last to say in a very uncertain voice, ‘Ivy Orbuthnot? Ivy Orbuthnot?’

And seeking to cheer the gas lamp, I whispered to it, ‘Yes, that’s quite right, as you say, Ivy Orbuthnot.’

‘Ivy Orbuthnot?’

‘Ivy Orbuthnot, definitely.’

But soon there were other sounds to be heard beyond the lamp. These were coming from inside the clock. It took me a little while to catch the watering can’s name. I had heard it whispering on the rare occasions I had been by Ormily, but I could never catch what it was saying, it seemed such a shy thing. Now, crouching by the clock, I heard the following, ‘Hilary Evelyn Ward-Jackson.’

‘Perr … Br … ate.’

‘Hilary Evelyn Ward-Jackson.’

‘Perdita Braithwaite.’

‘Hilary Evelyn Ward-Jackson.’