“We did racism too,” said Ruth. “And the Gospel of St. Mark. And I didn’t pick him up, I just got talking to him. There is a difference, you know.”

“Mark,” said Kate, suddenly starting to her feet, sidetracked. “Oh dear, I completely forgot to give you your birthday present. Do run up to my bedroom, there’s a love, it’s in my stocking drawer, in a brown paper bag. It’s only a very small present, I couldn’t think what to get you, now you’re so grown up”—and Mark went off, Kate defending her tree the while, protesting that it was not merely decorative but edible, and Mark brought down his present, which was a smart dull-black Parker pen, and kissed his mother and told her that over the years she had bought him at least a dozen Parker pens, but that he solemnly promised not to lose this one, and Kate apologised for being so unoriginal, and said she would contribute to the cost of the car, and then Mujid and Simone and the girls went into a huddle, from which they emerged, Mujid declaring that he thought this was the moment to present Kate with the present he and Simone had bought her for all her hospitality.

“My goodness, presents all around,” said Kate, “what fun!” hoping that the fact that the girls seemed to be in on whatever secret was about to be revealed indicated that it would be something more exciting than a tome on the integration of modern Iraq, the history of the British mandate in Mesopotamia or another catalogue of Free Palestine posters from the Iraqi Cultural Centre (though of late, to be fair, Mujid had slacked off in his attempts to educate Kate, presumably having found her ineducable)—and the gift, when it was unwrapped from its crinkling white tissue paper, proved indeed to be exciting, and entirely unimproving, for it was a pair of little emerald-green slippers, embroidered with pearls and sequins and golden stitching, a pair of Arabian slippers. “How lovely,” cried Kate, “how lovely, they are slippers from the Arabian Nights!” and she unzipped her boots and tried them on, and everybody smiled indulgently as she twisted and turned her little ankles. “Oh, they are darlings,” said Kate, “and I so badly needed some slippers, how clever to choose such a present,” and Mujid smiled, and said, “You should not be walking always with your feet on the cold floor.”