“No one’s told him. If they had, he wouldn’t say a word about it. He’s that much of a gentleman.” She spoke with a certain vicarious pride.

“So our secret’s safe. Because whatever happens he’s a gentle­man and whatever happens I’m not a gentleman. I’m not going to let him know just how big a fool he’s made of me. There’s not going to be a scandal. Were you frightened that there would be? Is that why you’ve come?”

She sighed. “You can’t possibly have read Abe’s letter.”

“I didn’t. I burned it.”

“Oh God!” Her face seemed to elongate itself grotesquely with pain. “You hate us. You really hate us. Why, Joe, why? Why so much? There was nothing in the letter to hurt you. Abe’s sorry for you. He feels a certain responsibility for what happened—”

“He ought to,” I said.

“Yes, he ought to. We both ought to. But don’t ask too much all at once, Joe. There’s no question of your being sacked. Abe realizes you need time to think—”

“He knows too, then.”

She shook her head. “There’s a limit to the shocks he can stand. I don’t see any need for him to know.”

“Don’t be frightened,” I said. “He won’t learn it from me.”

“I never was frightened of that,” she said softly.

“I’m not coming back to Warley. I’ve seen through you all. You didn’t think I’d have the guts to, but I’ve got away. I’m mak­ing a fresh start. I don’t want anything from you, I’m sick of the whole damned lot of you . . .” I was crying again.

She stroked my hand gently. “Your fresh start doesn’t seem to be making you very happy,” she said. “Do you know what I thought when you first married Susan? I didn’t like you then, I didn’t like what you’d done to Alice Aisgill, I didn’t like the fact that you were so obviously using Susan to get what you wanted. But there was something about you – whether you were happy or not you believed you could be happy. You don’t believe it now, do you?”

“You can’t expect me to,” I muttered.

“Don’t mind my asking this, but are you sure that you really love Norah?”

“Why do you think I left home?”

“Not for her,” she said.

“She believes I have. That’s enough.”

“It won’t be enough if she ever finds out about Barbara.”

“I’ll tell her when the time comes.”

“You’ve changed, my dear.”

The night was already setting in and in the half-dark the harsh lines seemed to have left her face and the greyness of her soft and gleaming hair seemed the consequence of choice rather than of age.

“I don’t feel any different,” I said.