FOURTEEN
“Once more I was woken by the sound of hammering penetrating my slumber. I sat up with a start, convinced at first that it was only a dream. The fire was still burning, although the flames were barely visible. The radio station which I had been listening to was still on the air, but the programme had changed and in my half-asleep state I found the new music quite irritating, so I reached over and switched it off. I could see over my shoulder that the hall light was still burning, so at least the generator had not given up on me.
“I leaned forward with my elbows resting on my knees and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I strained to see my watch in the dim light afforded me by the last of the burning embers and saw that it was a little after eleven o’clock. I waited in my chair, con
