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Emma?’
    â€˜I’ve no idea.’
    â€˜Anyway a girl, that’s good.’
    There was some anxiety in the family about whether Tom mightn’t be homosexual. Tom, now a student of London University, was living in digs near King’s Cross.
    â€˜Have you seen George?’ said Brian, coming at last to the topic of the evening.
    â€˜No,’ said Alex. She awaited George. George would come in his own time.
    â€˜Have you —?’
    â€˜Heard from him, communicated with him? No,’ she added. ‘Of course not.’
    Brian nodded. He understood Alex’s feelings. He had tried to telephone George; no answer. And though urged to by Gabriel, he had not written, or again attempted to call.
    â€˜I feel we ought to do something,’ said Gabriel.
    â€˜What on earth can we do?’ said Alex. George was an emotional subject for all of them.
    â€˜People talk so,’ said Brian.
    â€˜I don’t care a damn about people talking,’ said Alex, ‘and I’m surprised to hear that you do!’
    â€˜It isn’t — ’ said Gabriel.
    â€˜Of course,’ said Brian, ‘I care about him, I care if he’s hurt or damaged, by what people — ’
    â€˜I believe you’re thinking of yourself,’ said Alex.
    â€˜I’m thinking of myself too,’ said Brian, staring.
    â€˜Some people say he was heroic,’ said Gabriel, ‘rescuing Stella from — ’
    â€˜You know that’s not what they’re saying,’ said Brian.
    â€˜It’s not what they’re enjoying saying,’ said Alex. She had received sympathetic remarks from people at the Institute, but she had seen the gleam in their eyes. At the frivolous level at which such agreements were reached, it seemed now to be generally agreed that George McCaffrey had indeed tried to kill his wife.
    â€˜I think George should have himself seen to,’ said Brian.
    â€˜What a perfectly horrible phrase,’ said Alex. ‘Why don’t you have yourself seen to?’
    â€˜Maybe I should,’ said Brian, ‘but George - I sometimes feel now that he might do - almost anything — ’
    â€˜What rubbish you talk,’ said Alex, ‘it’s just spite.’
    â€˜I don’t feel like that about him,’ said Gabriel.
    â€˜What do you want him to do about himself anyway?’
    â€˜I don’t know,’ said Brian, ‘see a doctor — ’
    â€˜You mean Dr Roach? Don’t be silly. George drinks too much, that’s all. So does Gabriel.’
    â€˜She doesn’t,’ said Brian.
    â€˜All George needs — ’
    â€˜It’s more than that,’ said Brian. ‘It’s more than just drink, of course it is. Call it a chemical imbalance if you like!’
    â€˜George is like everyone else, only in his case it shows.’
    â€˜Because he’s more honest!’
    â€˜Because he’s a fool.’
    â€˜You know perfectly well that George isn’t like everyone else, it’s gone on too long, he’s violent to Stella — ’
    â€˜Is he? Who says so?’
    â€˜Well, not Stella, naturally. You know he gets into rages and hits people and he lost his job because — ’
    â€˜All right, but — ’
    â€˜It’s more, it’s something deep, it’s not just being tipsy and stupid, it’s — ’
    â€˜You mean it’s something evil, is that what you mean?’
    â€˜No, who am I to judge — ’
    â€˜You seem to be doing nothing but judge.’
    â€˜I think we should try to help him as a family,’ said Gabriel. ‘I think he feels very isolated.’
    â€˜I don’t mean evil,’ said Brian, ‘I mean psychologically deep.’
    â€˜George doesn’t hate anyone,’ said Alex, ‘except himself.’
    â€˜He might talk to Robin Osmore,’ said Gabriel. Robin Osmore was the family solicitor.
    â€˜If he