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in this afternoon,” she replied, “and then I can go fairly late to the station when it will merely be a matter of shifting them from the cloakroom.”
    â€œLet’s do it now. There’s still twenty minutes ofmy lunch-hour and a taxi up will simplify the whole thing.”
    Elsie inwardly thanked the good fortune that had mislaid her bank-book, and set about using this offer to the full.
    After they had left the station yard and were walking once more along the two-o’clock streets, Elsie noticed, as she always did, the torpidity of the crowds. Jostling and rushing were unknown in these northern latitudes because they were almost an impossibility under the vertical sun. Here one became a lounger, a lover of shade-patches and the cool gulfs of doorways. By common consent they drifted into a milk-bar and sucked lazily at the frothy pink drink, idly seeing the juke-box light up as a devotee in tight jeans paid monetary tribute. “But as long as you love me so,” wailed the juke-box, “let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.” The devotee was joined in sacrifice by his female counterpart and, arms limp about each other’s waist, they swayed in drugged ecstasy, their jaws in rhythm. Elsie felt for and found the hard parked circle of gum beneath the table—she only searched to satisfy herself that it was always there, in strange towns and new restaurants—and saw the usual crude anatomies sketched on a corner of the seat. It all made her yawn.
    Back in her room, so dark now she was forced to switch on the light, Elsie pressed the cake-tin upon Jon.
    â€œGo on. Don’t be silly. I’d love you to have it, andreally you will be doing me quite a favour. I have as much as I can carry now. If you happen to see Mrs Buttling, don’t let her know. She was being very kind to me.”
    Reluctantly Jon accepted and, glancing at his watch, saw that it was time for him to leave. One hand on the door-knob, he turned wistfully, and Elsie, knowing it would not be again, moved into the passionless circle of his embrace, tasted once more the liquor and tobacco of his lips. Sensing a trembling upon her arm she glanced down quickly at his hands, astonished to see that they were shaking quite uncontrollably. She did not dare look up, for once find her eyes captured by his own, who knew what pain lay in store for either.
    â€œSee you at ten to eight,” Jon whispered, bending once more towards her. This is a penalty to pay, mused Elsie, to gain a porter and protector for departure, and raised cool lips again.
    She was glad when he had gone, because the throbbing had started in her leg and was almost more than she could bear. The area surrounding the carbuncle was so swollen that when she pressed the flesh with her fingertips, deep white hollows remained stamped on her leg for nearly five minutes. The pain crystallized into arrow points of agony. Wearily she sat on the side of the bed, dragging her stocking off; then going to the narrow black tin in which she kept the few patent medicines she needed, with esotericfamiliarity began the ritual. Scissors, gauze, Ichthyol, gauze pads, scissors.
Sed tantum dic verbo et sanabitur crus meum. Sed tantum dic verbo. Sed tantum dic verbo
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VII
    August
    M OST OF the houses were built on stilts, some five feet high, some fifteen, but especially those which, although built on the gentle rise south of the river, tended to receive the full force of the January rains, partly because here they were so close to the sea and partly because on the whole all this side of town was much lower than the north bank. They were ugly and they were necessary. Especially you thought them ugly in mid-year when the mud had hardened and the fowls ran squawking below the building, latticed only with tarred uprights, so you could see tubs and old packing cases and the underneath rain-water tank all jumbled together. But you knew they were necessary when the first