She looked up at him once or twice from over Margot Emmery’s letter, and said presently, ‘Well, my dear Ronald, I leave that to you. – Hush! … Listen! Come in! … Ronald, I’m sure I heard somebody. Do go and see who it is.’

‘It’s Miss Warren,’ said Ronald, having opened the door grudgingly, and Sydney came in.

She came in doubtfully, carrying a pile of books, with a long pair of white leather gloves dangling over her arm. She and Ronald stared at each other vaguely and steadily over the reading-lamp, the only light in the room. In the red dusk over the shade their faces were blank to each other; their features were scarcely visible and their expressions, if they had expressions, not visible at all. As it was a spring night the window stood open out on to the balcony, and now and then the curtains were sucked in and swelled out by a breath of mild air.

‘I’ll be getting along,’ said Ronald to Sydney.

‘Oh no, don’t go.’ But the room seemed too small for three people.

Ronald, seeking for and failing to catch his mother’s eye, looked round him rather confusedly and finally stepped out between the curtains on to the balcony, where he lighted a cigarette and, doubling his elbows under him, leaned forward to stare at the sea. The exit was not a happy one, in the room behind he remained present yet not present. Sydney put her pile of books carefully down on the table and counted them over, then held out the pair of gloves to Mrs Kerr.

‘I think these are all of your books that I had,’ said she. ‘And I think these are your gloves: I must have brought them upstairs with me after a walk. I found them among my things.’

‘So they are!’ said Mrs Kerr, and looked at the gloves in pleased surprise. ‘How nice to have them back – but I never missed them. But I do wish, my dear, you hadn’t brought all those books back. Wouldn’t you keep them? I shall never have room for them all in my trunk.’

‘I shouldn’t have room in my trunk either.’

‘Not if I wrote your name in them all?’

‘I’m afraid I still shouldn’t have room in my trunk,’ Sydney said, and smiled conventionally.

‘Then I shall have to give them away to someone else,’ said Mrs Kerr with a sigh. ‘Don’t just hover, Sydney – must you go yet? Stay and sit down.’

‘I’m afraid I can’t. I’m going through my things tonight and beginning to pack – I’d no idea I’d so many. We go, you see, the day after tomorrow, and tomorrow night I shall be going out with the Lawrences.’