Sir Randolph had taken a cigarette case from his waistcoat pocket, and now lit a cigarette and held it to Tom’s lips, at the same time raising Tom’s right hand so that he could hold it himself. Tom inhaled deeply.

‘Ah, that’s tobacco, that is. Turkish, I shouldn’t wonder.’

‘Yes, it’s Turkish.’

‘That’s fine tobacco, that is. If I’m to go that’s a fine last smoke. It gives me some strength to replace what I feel draining out of me. Draining out of me it is, sir. Give me a prayer, sir. Don’t deny me that. It’s your way to pray – ’tis you that orders up the prayers in Church, the Vicar only prays what prayers you tell him to, even I know that, that hardly crosses the doorstep of the Church from year to year. Say a prayer, sir; I’ll say Amen.’

‘If that’s what you want, Tom.’ Sir Randolph put his hand on Tom’s shoulder, cleared his throat and repeated last Sunday’s Collect at high speed – in fact, such was his embarrassment, he more or less gabbled it.

‘Oh almighty and most merciful God of thy bountiful goodness keep us we beseech thee from all things that may hurt us, that we being ready both in body and soul may cheerfully accomplish those things that thou wouldest have done through Jesus Christ Our Lord, Amen.’

‘Amen!’ echoed Tom loudly. ‘Amen, I say. Amen! Amen!’

He rolled his head from side to side, puffing at the cigarette that he still held in his right hand. The movement was obviously extremely painful and caused him to groan as loudly as before, but at the same time his excitement seemed to increase. ‘Don’t stop, sir, I beg you. More prayers, more prayers.’

Sir Randolph looked desperately over the field towards the gate through which Doctor West might be expected to come.

‘We could say the Lord’s Prayer together,’ he said, and began, ‘Our Father which Art in Heaven …’

‘Our Father …’ Tom seemed to seize on the words with a kind of greed, although as he repeated the prayer phrase by phrase after Sir Randolph his words ran into each other, becoming increasingly blurred, a difficulty he tried to make up for by increasing the volume.