There was an awkward silence. It seemed as if the room had tied everyone’s tongues, as if the oak panelling, the huge empty fireplace, even the stained glass windows had intimidated them all. Or had they detected the fact that I hadn’t wanted to come here at all, that I didn’t particularly believe in what I had been saying, that at this moment all that I cared about was whether I might see another fraction of a young woman’s legs?

Then a young man in a blue sports shirt – only the Warden and I appeared to be wearing jackets – mumbled his way through a long statement about politics and local government. He ap­peared to think that politics could be kept out of local govern­ment; briefly and firmly I told him that it couldn’t be. I went on answering questions in a daze of boredom; hadn’t Councils too little power, hadn’t Councils too much power, were big admini­strative units really efficient, how long would Warley retain its in­dependence; towards the end I had to struggle to keep the bad temper out of my voice. They were young, they were presum­ably well educated, but they didn’t know, they wanted jus­tice, they wanted the dragons killed. Then I saw that Norah was look­ing at me. She whispered to her companion.

He rose. There was a smile on his face which I didn’t like. He had sallow skin and blue jowls but his teeth were very good. He seemed to be showing them in more ways than one: this ques­tion, I sensed, would be a stinker.

“If I may,” he said, “I’d like to be very specific. Mr. Lampton has made great play with the fact that English local government is essentially conducted in public, that Councils have nothing to hide, that they’re always delighted to inform citizens exactly what they’re doing.”

I nodded.

“You’re not prepared to go back on this, Mr. Lampton? You’re sure that you really mean it?”

Norah was smiling now. I felt a sense of betrayal. It was as if I were on trial, as if they were in league against me.

“Of course I mean it,” I said.

“How do you explain that Council meetings have been closed to the public and to the Press on no less than three occasions during the last twelve months? And always when a certain matter had to be discussed, I may add. And that isn’t all. The Hous­ing Committee—”

His rather harsh voice ground on; after he’d been speaking for four minutes I ceased to take any notice of what he was saying.

He’d lost his audience by not sticking to one point; when he started to refer to the much delayed public baths scheme I looked pointedly at my watch and then appealingly at the Warden.