“I say, Kate,” said Giles.
“Yes?”
“I—I got your letter.”
“Did you?” said Katharine. “So did I. I mean——”
“Yes?”
“What?” said Katharine disconcertingly.
“I only said ‘Yes,’” said Giles. “You know. _Pour encourager._ Go on,
dear.”
His wife braced herself.
“Gill.”
“Yes, dear?”
“I rang you up to——”
“Did you?” said Giles. “When?”
“_Now._”
“Now? Oh, I see. I suppose they said I was out. Never mind.”
“But why should they say you were out?”
“Well, mainly because,” said Giles, “I don’t happen to be in.”
“Gill,” cried his wife, “what on earth d’you mean?”
“Don’t ask me,” said Giles desperately. “I’m that badgered and
bewildered, I can’t think straight. As I was saying, I rang you up
to——”
“When?” said Katharine.
A choking noise was succeeded by another silence.
With his eyes closed and tears running down his cheeks, Forsyth clung to
his receiver helplessly.