John wrote several times to the sister, but received no replies.
“She’s still alive, John,” said his father. “At least, she’s still drawing a pension so it’s a reasonable assumption she is.”
The time for making a decision on his PhD was too close to indulge in any further delay so John decided he had no alternative but to go and see the lady personally.
It was a long rambling journey with little opportunity for using his car’s powerful engine to make rapid progress, so he ambled along at a relatively sedate pace, except for the odd occasion when he could not resist leaving some ostensibly more powerful car standing. It was early autumn, and away from the frenzy of the motorways and trunk roads the countryside was peaceful and still. Twice John stopped just to gaze at the landscape, and
