Ben watched the conversation, red-eyed and tired behind a bowl of cornflakes, as if he did not know what they were talking about. Will hated the mornings. In the hostel he always missed breakfast. He made instant coffee in his room and arrived at school at half past nine after assembly had finished. It was breaking the rules but allowance was made for sixth formers.

Agnes tried to get him out of bed to have breakfast with the rest of the family. His disgust at being woken from a deep sleep gave him the words which he had been struggling to find since he had returned home. He spoke without thinking. She should leave him alone, he said. He did not want to be there anyway. He had only come back because she had been so insistent and he was going back to school as soon as there was an available plane. Then he turned over and went back to sleep. Agnes stood in the kitchen and wept. She had lost Mary and Will. Nothing would be the same again.

In Buness the boys were in their room changing into their Sunday-best clothes. Maggie was washing the breakfast dishes and Alec was polishing his shoes.

“You should have done that last night,” she said.

“I know.” He was irritated. “I forgot.”

“So Sylvia Drysdale came back on the boat yesterday,” she said, working on the petty irritation he already felt, trying to provoke a reaction.

“Look,” he said. “I’ve told you. There never was anything to that. It was just gossip.”

“No,” she said. “ You never did tell me.”

“Well I’m telling you now. There was never anything in it.”

“I’m glad,” she said, “ that you’ve told me.” But it did not help her and she felt uneasy and tense.

Sarah took it for granted that they were going to church, but Jim refused.

“No,” he said, “we agreed. We decided to go last week because Mother was so upset, but that was all. We wouldn’t go again.”

He was adamant.

“You can go,” he said, “but I won’t think a lot of you if you do. It’ll only be for appearances.”

She was surprised because he took it so seriously.

“Did you enjoy yourself last night?” he asked, to change the subject.

“Oh,” she said vaguely, “I’ll tell you all about it later. Do you think that Alec would lend me his car?”

George woke early. He got out of bed and opened the curtains. The cloud was still low over the hill. There would be no chance of the police coming in by plane. There was no movement in the house. He dressed and went downstairs, then left the house quietly. It was just as well, he thought, not to have an audience.

As he went through the gate on to the road a car pulled up and stopped. It was Sarah in Alec’s car.