“To take forty-five thousand men and all their horses and carts and equipment, across such an abominable country! No one in England would believe it possible.” Strange laughed. “It is a pity that his lordship cannot spare a moment to talk to me, but perhaps you will be so good as to give him a message. Say this: Mr Strange presents his compliments to Lord Wellington and says that if it is of any interest to his lordship to have a nice, well-made road for the Army to march along tomorrow, then Mr Strange will be glad to conjure one up for him. Oh! And if he wishes he may have bridges too, to replace the ones the French have blown up. Good evening to you.” With that Strange bowed to both gentlemen, picked up his umbrella and left.

Strange and Jeremy Johns had been unable to find anywhere to stay in Lousão. None of the gentlemen who found quarters for the generals and told the rest of the soldiers which damp field they were to sleep in, had made any provision for the magician and his servant. Strange had eventually agreed terms for a tiny upstairs room with a man who kept a little wine shop a few miles down the road to Miranda de Corvo.

Strange and Jeremy ate the supper the wine-shop owner had provided for them. It was a stew and their evening’s entertainment chiefly consisted in trying to guess what had gone into it.

“What the devil is that?” asked Strange, holding up his fork. On the end of it was something whitish and glistening that curled over and under itself.

“A fish perhaps?” ventured Jeremy.

“It looks more like a snail,” said Strange.

“Or part of someone’s ear,” added Jeremy.

Strange stared at it a moment longer. “Would you like it?” he asked.

“No, thank you, sir,” said Jeremy with a resigned glance into his own cracked plate, “I have several of my own.”

When they had finished supper and when the last candle had burnt out there seemed nothing else to do but go to bed – and so they did. Jeremy curled up upon one side of the room and Strange lay down upon the other. Each had devised his own bed from whatever materials had taken his fancy. Jeremy had a mattress fashioned out of his spare clothes and Strange had a pillow formed chiefly of books from Mr Norrell’s library.