Cornelius looked round, and noted that Lord Lilburn in his tweeds looked remarkably large and fit. He felt hurriedly in his pockets.

‘My card.’

Thanks. Hindhead, how charming. We’ll certainly be in touch. You’ll broach the matter with your printer friend?’

‘He shall send you an estimate, without fail. Good day to you, sir.’

Cornelius cheerfully hoisted his placard and set off towards the wood. On the way he passed between various groups of shooters, dog-handlers and beaters, and turned from side to side to greet them with a confident wave and a more or less playful shake of his stick. He was greeted by stares which expressed varying degrees of unfriendliness. Only Sir Randolph, watching his irregular progress which was interrupted by pauses to readjust the placard – it had a tendency to slip askew on the stick when he raised it in the air – and to lift his wide-brimmed hat to the more formidable in appearance of the shooters – he had a particularly wild smile for the tall and stony-eyed Lord Hartlip – only Sir Randolph smiled benignly.

Bob Lilburn approached his host.

‘You’ll have him up in front of the Bench, I imagine.’

‘He had to get back to Hindhead,’ said Sir Randolph vaguely. ‘Pretty place, Hindhead. Do you know it at all?’

Down by the river there was a cool breeze. Nanny wished she had made Violet put on her woollen gaiters.

‘Come along now, we’ll be late for lunch.’

Violet was hanging over the bridge, scuffing the toes of her shoes on the stone wall. Under the bridge the river slid smoothly and fast towards a shallower passage of miniature rapids, through which it splashed its way with a variable rippling haste from which Violet found it hard to remove her gaze once caught. Beyond the rapids came deeper water, flowing apparently more slowly towards the shaded bends and quiet pools where chub and trout moved lazily among the long strands of straight green weed.

‘She isn’t here, what shall we do?’

‘She’s probably at home by now.’

‘We promised Osbert we’d find her.’

‘We can’t find her if she’s not here. She’ll be at home, eating up her food, that’s where she’ll be. Come along.’

‘We promised.’

‘He can come down himself after lunch. He can miss his rest. There now.’

‘He doesn’t rest anyway.’

Violet reluctantly allowed Nanny to take her hand and lead her back towards the road.

‘Don’t dawdle so, Violet. He does rest. He reads his book.’

‘I have to rest with my eyes shut.’

‘So did Osbert at your age.’

‘He used to creep out and do naughty things. He went out into the Park and got knocked over by a sheep.’

‘That’s one of his stories. You shouldn’t believe him.’

‘It stamped its foot at him, and then it knocked him over with its nose. I’m tired, I can’t walk any further.’

‘I know someone who got out of bed the wrong side this morning.’

‘I didn’t get out any different side from what I usually do. Oh look, that’s Granny’s car.’