‘Well, dogs are basically animal slaves, aren’t they? People find them useful for certain menial tasks, or for massaging their egos. Dogs fawn on their owners shamelessly. Don’t you find it so? No, I expect you disagree with me.’

‘Many people would value dogs for their loyalty,’ said Cooper.

‘Oh, you’re thinking of the dog that will dive into the river to save its master when he’s drowning? Well, the fact is that nine dogs out of ten would sit on the bank and watch you drown. And then they’d go off to see where their next meal was coming from. Loyalty is skin deep, you know.’

Cooper shifted uneasily under the professor’s gaze, but didn’t argue.

Robertson smiled. ‘Now, I presume there was something you wanted to ask me about. Which case is it, now? Somebody mentioned skeletonized remains …?’

‘That’s correct, sir.’

Briefly, Cooper explained the background to his enquiry and showed Robertson photographs of the scene at Litton Foot.

‘You see, sir, the feet were pointing to the east and the head to the west. For a start, I wondered if that might have any significance.’

‘That was very observant of you,’ said Robertson. ‘Well, it certainly reflects the Christian cemetery tradition. The practice was based on the belief that the Lord’s Second Coming would be from the east. When you rise from your grave on Judgement Day, you want to be facing your God, not turning your backside to him.’

‘I see.’

‘Burials in Roman Britain were already east–west oriented by the end of the second century AD, so the tradition lasted a long time. But this isn’t an ancient burial, or you wouldn’t be here, surely?’

‘That’s correct, sir.’

Robertson waved a hand. ‘It’s all right – you don’t have to tell me more than you want to. I can see you’re not sure whether you can trust me.’

‘It isn’t that, sir. We don’t know a great deal at the moment.’

‘Are you sure you wouldn’t like a drink? Something non-alcoholic, of course, since you’re so very much on duty.’

‘No thank you, sir.’

Robertson took a gulp of his whisky. ‘There are other practices you may be familiar with. In some of our older churchyards, it’s still possible to see the traditional pattern of burials. At one time, a person’s place in the social hierarchy was preserved for posterity by the location of their grave. The better class of people were buried on the south side of the church, in the sunniest position. The poor were planted on the west, and the clergy on the east.’

‘And the north?’