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thousands for a luxury flat in a town nowadays up on the sixteenth floor of a modern building. Big unwieldy country houses are a drag on the market.”
    â€œBut you could build a modern house,” I argued. “Labour-saving.”
    â€œYou could, but it’s an expensive business and people aren’t so fond of living lonely.”
    â€œSome people might be,” I said.
    He laughed and we parted. I walked along, frowning, puzzling to myself. My feet took me without my really noticing where I was going along the road between the trees and up, up to the curving road that led between the trees to the moorlands.
    And so I came to the spot in the road where I first saw Ellie. As I said, she was standing just by a tall fir tree and she had the look, if I can explain it, of someone who hadn’t been there a moment before but had just materialized, as it were, out of the tree. She was wearing a sort of dark green tweed and her hair was the soft brown colour of an autumn leaf and there was something a bit unsubstantial about her. I saw her and I stopped. She was looking at me, her lips just parted, looking slightly startled. I suppose I looked startled too. I wanted to say something and I didn’t quite know what to say. Then I said:
    â€œSorry. I—I didn’t mean to startle you. I didn’t know there was anyone here.”
    She said, and her voice was very soft and gentle, it might have been a little girl’s voice but not quite. She said:
    â€œIt’s quite all right. I mean, I didn’t think anyone would be here either.” She looked round her and said, “It—it’s a lonely spot.” And she shivered just a little.
    There was rather a chilly wind that afternoon. But perhaps it wasn’t the wind. I don’t know. I came a step or two nearer.
    â€œIt is a sort of scary place rather, isn’t it?” I said. “I mean, the house being a ruin the way it is.”
    â€œThe Towers,” she said thoughtfully. “That was the name of it, wasn’t it—only I mean, there don’t seem to have been any towers.”
    â€œI expect that was just a name,” I said. “People call their houses names like The Towers to make them sound grander than they are.”
    She laughed just a little. “I suppose that was it,” she said. “This—perhaps you know, I’m not sure—this is the place that they’re selling today or putting up for auction?”
    â€œYes,” I said. “I’ve come from the auction now.”
    â€œOh.” She sounded startled. “Were you—are you—interested?”
    â€œI’m not likely to buy a ruined house with a few hundred acres of woodland land,” I said. “I’m not in that class.”
    â€œWas it sold?” she asked.
    â€œNo, it didn’t come up to reserve.”
    â€œOh. I see.” She sounded relieved.
    â€œYou didn’t want to buy it either, did you?” I said.
    â€œOh no,” she said, “of course not.” She sounded nervous about it.
    I hesitated and then I blurted out the words that came to my lips. “I’m pretending,” I said. “I can’t buy it, of course, because I haven’t got any money, but I’m interested. I’d like to buy it. I want to buy it. Open your mouth and laugh at me if you like but that’s the way it is.”
    â€œBut isn’t it rather too decrepit, too—”
    â€œOh yes,” I said. “I don’t mean I want it like it is now. I want topull this down, cart it all away. It’s an ugly house and I think it must have been a sad house. But this place isn’t sad or ugly. It’s beautiful. Look here. Come a little this way, through the trees. Look out at the view that way where it goes to the hills and the moors. D’you see? Clear away a vista here —and then you come this way—”
    I took her by the arm and led her to a second