He went that same afternoon. Tiny was pleased to see him, but looked at him with shrunken little eyes. He said that his knee was going on as well as could be expected, but that he supposed it would be a long job. He asked about the inquest and the funeral, and then mentioned Mrs Dalby Whittier.

‘I feel worried about her,’ he said. ‘She hasn’t written. Anstey has a key to the bungalow and sends on letters. It seems queer that she should just pass up on us. On me, I mean. She was going to stay with relatives in London, but she didn’t leave any address, so I don’t know how to contact her. I owe her a month’s pay, too. She wouldn’t take December’s money before she went. Said that for one thing it wasn’t due, and for another that she’d only spend it in London. I hope she hasn’t gone down with flu or pneumonia, or something. The weather must have been even worse than it seemed, to finish poor Bill like that.’

‘I rather wanted to ask you about Bill,’ said Jonathan, ‘if you didn’t mind. How long was he out that day? – and where had he been?’

‘As I wrote in my report to the coroner, I’m most uncertain, actually. The poor old chap was mad on natural history, as you know, and he’d been out to the badgers’ earth in Groaning Spinney. At least, that’s where he intended to go, because he said so.’

‘Anstey seemed to think he’d gone to Gloucester,’ said Jonathan. ‘How did he get hold of that idea?’

‘It’s a queer business,’ said Tiny, passing a hand across his eyes. ‘Damned queer. He was a far better life than I was, don’t you know. I should never have thought …’

‘No,’ agreed Jonathan. ‘I don’t think anybody would. By the way – this woman to whom he left his money? Have you any idea? … Or am I being too curious? I mean, I’d no idea old Bill was married.’

‘As I’ve told those damned lawyers,’ said Tiny, ‘I don’t believe he was.’

They talked on other subjects for about half an hour, and then Jonathan, rising to go, cleared his throat and spoke his mind.

‘By the way, Fullalove, I have perhaps strange views on the subject, but when you are up and about again I shall be very much obliged if you’ll bear in mind that the very slightest attempt on your part to embarrass or annoy people will result in your being back in this nursing home immediately and probably permanently.’