IV.
Two days later, as the boat train moved tranquilly south toward Paris, Adrian tried to persuade his children to look out the window at the Norman countryside.
‘It’s beautiful,’ he assured them. ‘All the little farms like toys. Why, in heaven’s name, won’t you look?’
‘I like the boat better,’ said Estelle.
Her parents exchanged an infanticidal glance.
‘The boat is still rocking for me,’ Eva said with a shiver. ‘Is it for you?’
‘No. Somehow, it all seems a long way off. Even the passengers looked unfamiliar going through the customs.’
‘Most of them hadn’t appeared above ground before.’
He hesitated. ‘By the way, I cashed Butterworth’s cheque for him.’
‘You’re a fool. You’ll never see the money again.’
‘He must have needed it pretty badly or he would not have come to me.’
A pal
