‘Not breaking the Director’s orders, are you?’

‘I lost my breath, that’s all.’ Indeed, I already felt better, just for talking to someone else.

Kaspar’s gaze wasn’t without tenderness, but it wasn’t without its sense of challenge, too. There were sweeps of masonry dust on his suit. I envied him his hair, its luxury. ‘I don’t think it would be a good idea to carry on with the fast. After all this stuff with Jenö. We don’t need more trouble. Can’t have you fainting as well.’

‘I told you, I’m fine.’

He evidently didn’t believe me, but decided to drop it. ‘Did you skip class this afternoon?’

‘I had to run an errand. Who told you that Jenö had been done for brawling in Munich?’

‘Elena or Eve or Hannah. Can’t remember which. One of the troika. What were you doing at the Baths?’

‘I wanted to see where it happened.’ I wondered whether I should mention Walter’s spectacles: ask Kaspar how Walter had been able to narrate the story so well without being able to see clearly, but I remembered his admonishments on Monday.

‘What’s there to check on?’

‘Walter’s story just felt off. Didn’t you think so?’

‘No,’ he said, but then Kaspar hadn’t seen Jenö outside the bakery. ‘You and Irmi might do better supporting them this Saturday rather than doing your own little investigations.’

‘Of course,’ I said, blushing, because he doubted my alliances. ‘What’s on Saturday?’

‘The tribunal, of course.’

‘Right.’ And then I added, too heavily, ‘It’s brilliant the police aren’t going to pursue this.’

He looked as if he didn’t believe me, but then our attention moved to a shutter which banged in the old Goethe house. The house was so big there must have been twenty or so windows across its front. I remembered what Walter had said about Charlotte von Stein, roaming the woods, moaning Goethe’s name. Such a big grand house had surely been his wife’s house, not his mistress’s.

Another student showed up, but Kaspar didn’t introduce me. Instead he said he was going to the dump. ‘Where are you off to?’ he asked.

‘Charlotte’s.’

‘Oh. I think she’s back at school,’ Kaspar said, swinging a leg over his bike. ‘Masterminding their defence. Everyone’s ecstatic they’re not going to prison. But it’s rather worth remembering,’ he said, in a solemn tone, ‘that they’re not out of the woods yet.’ Then he said goodbye in Italian, as if we were in Rome.