you?’ she said.

    It seemed pretty obvious t I  anso kiss me.

    ‘t on promptly. t’s o say sometant you set foot inside t expecting you. You’ll just o  I don’t t any cheese.’

    I folloos into tting-room. I s tc. I meant to get my say in first, and I kne ter if I took a strong line from tart.

    ‘No trick on me?’

    S laid op of t she looked genuinely surprised.

    ‘ trick?  do you mean?’

    ‘Sending out t S.O.S.!’

    ‘ S.O.S.?  are you tALKING about, George?’

    ‘Are you trying to tell me you didn’t get to send out an S.O.S. saying you were seriously ill?’

    ‘Of course I didn’t!  ill.   for?’

    I began to explain, but almost before I began I saake. I’d only  fe ory. It just upid mistake t’s altle bit of imagination I’d credited erest in tes or so er all. But t c trouble of some kind coming. And tioning me in  quiet and kind of chful.

    ‘So you el at Birmingham?’

    ‘Yes. Last nigional Broadcast.’

    ‘hen?’

    ‘t t in case to lie my  of it. Left at ten, lunc Coventry, tea at Bedford—I’d got it all mapped out.)

    ‘So you t last nig even leave till this morning?’

    ‘But I tell you I didn’t t I explained? I t it  anotricks. It sounded a damn sight more likely.’

    ‘t at all!’ s I kne s on more quietly: ‘So you left this morning, did you?’

    ‘Yes. I left about ten. I  Coventry—’

    ‘t for t out at me, and in tant sook out a piece of paper, and  out as if it hing.

    I felt as if someone  m