‘And handsome, intelligent, not without a sense of humour, morally sound, charming and with that famous well-tubbed look. I know. I know. But there’s no help for it. Once, when I was eleven, home for the holidays, Aunt Edith had a Christmas party, and they were all fooling about, kissing under the mistletoe – you know the form. He kissed me. Pure goodness of heart it was, too; I was gawky and plain, with a brace on my teeth – no kissing subject, I assure you. D’you know what I did? Fell down, flat out, in a faint, for the one and only time in my life, so far. They had to give me brandy.’ She roared with laughter, too loud and too long. And the car shot forward at a frightening pace. ‘This’ll kill you. Everybody thought I was overcome with emotion, and when, later on, Aunt Edith braced up to give me her bumbling little bird-and-bee talk, she warned me that I was evidently very highly sexed, and must be careful. Me!’

‘I’d no idea that you felt that way about the Canon.’

‘I conceal it as well as I can. It suits me to be here. I live for nothing, and damn well. Even my petrol comes out of Uncle Eric’s pump, and all my car expenses are taken care of by the business. Some income-tax fiddle or other. So I can save like mad. I’m saving up to get married, but, for God’s sake, don’t breathe a word to anyone. . . .’ She spent the rest of the journey telling Miss Mayfield about the man of her choice; how wonderful he was, and how poor, and how many years it would be before he would earn anything like a reasonable salary. Her voice, her whole manner, changed when she spoke of him.

‘I’ve kept it quiet. They’d want to have him down here and inspect him, and, poor dear, he wouldn’t fit in at all. And if I went around with a “Reserved” label on me, I should have a pretty thin time. And if I don’t have fun now, it’s damned certain I never shall. . . .’

It all had the effect of making Miss Mayfield feel rather ashamed. She thought, She has bared her heart to me, and I have given nothing in return. I have, in fact, only one thing to offer as a confidence this evening, and that is that Ethel Rigby is not in Yarmouth. And that I dare not say.

As she got out of the car she said:

‘Thank you very much. For taking me; and for a very enjoyable time as well.’