“No, I didn’t think they would be,” he said, taking the pins, but not doing anything more about it. “I didn’t think you would have anything to do with these drawing pins. Though what you have got anything to do with I can’t imagine. You’re not in my company, are you? I can hardly have engaged an actress looking like you without having noticed it.”

“I am not an actress!” I said irritably. In London nobody ever mistakes me for an actress, but I could see what my fate in this place was to be.

“I didn’t think you could be,” he said. “If you had been, I would have met you before.”

“You have met me before, as a matter of fact,” I said. “But clearly you don’t remember.”

“I’m quite sure you’re mistaken,” he said. “I’m quite sure I’ve never met you anywhere.”

I wondered how far he would go if I allowed him. I felt that it might be quite a long way, I felt it my duty to end the walking misrepresentation which is myself.

“Oh, I remember the occasion quite well,” I said. “It was all most unfortunate, in my opinion. It was at a party of Danny Owen’s. I was there with my husband.”

“Your husband?”

“David Evans, my husband.”

“Oh,” he said. “Oh yes. Really. David Evans. I didn’t know he was married. He doesn’t seem to be particularly married. Was I introduced to you? Come to think of it, I did know about David; he told me some long story about having a wife and a lot of kids to support when the subject of salary came up. But I didn’t know he was married to anyone like you.”

“How should you have known? It would hardly have been relevant, would it?”

“Oh, I don’t know about that. Most things come in handy, one way or another. When he told me that story, I thought that if it was true then he probably had a very homely wife. A lot of these people do, you know.”

‘What people?’

“People like David. Why did you say that our meeting, which for some extraordinary reason I cannot recollect, was unfortunate?”

“Only because I assume that if you hadn’t met David then you wouldn’t have thought of asking him to be in your company, and if you hadn’t asked him then we wouldn’t be here. What I really mean is, I wouldn’t be here.”

“Then you don’t like it here?”

“For what conceivable reason should I like it here?”

“It’s a very healthy spot, you know. Fresh air. Cows. What more do you want?”

“I can think of a thing or two.”