CHILDREN ALL
Whenever there was a lull in thought, someone brought up the subject of the strangers. Their behaviour was odd and their appearance ranged from normal to very peculiar indeed. It was entertaining to watch them, but it was also a worry.
The biggest concern was, of course, the drowning. No one said directly, “They killed one of us.” Many tussled with the idea. Were the strangers responsible? The matter was tugged about in conversations bit by bit until all its ramifications had been explored. In the end, most people realised what Guilhem-the-smith patiently repeated over and over again, that when a very young man insists on doing dangerous things, it was not unlikely that he would die doing those dangerous things.
Berta held out.
“Don’t be an i***t,” said Peire. Everyone was
