and focusing to a sharp-seen point. Then he took a bundle of short girders out, opened a couple of match-boxes and began to assemble an end-frame, his large fingers handling the miniature nuts and screws without fumbling, every movement looking in fact as though he had been fibbing about not having done this before, and had really been practising regularly for this moment.
âWhenâs Mummy coming?â said the child suddenly.
âIâm afraid I donât know. Is your mother staying here?â
âWe live here now. Mummy works for the Countess.â
âOh ⦠Mrs Dubigny?â
âYes.â
âWhatâs your name?â
âSally.â
âIâm Vincent. Vincent Masham. My friends call me Vince.â
âShe said she wouldnât be very long.â
âI met her in the courtyard about half an hour ago. She was going to show my cousin something. I expect sheâll come after that.â
âShe usually forgets.â
âIf I see her Iâll remind her.â
âIâm not allowed downstairs alone. The Countess says I might knock things over.â
âIâm sure you wouldnât.â
âIâm not allowed in the garden alone. The Countess says I might walk on the flowerbeds.â
âThatâs too bad. The gardenâs the best thing about Snailwood. I expect sheâll change her mind when sheâs used to you. There havenât been children here for ages. We used to run all over the garden. There are some corking trees to climb in.â
âThatâs a boysâ thing.â
âI suppose so. Lend me Mary again, for a try. She is going to need some kind of mattress, you know.â
âSheâs only a doll. She canât feel anything.â
âIf you say so.â
A few minutes later, when the two end-frames had been joined by longer strips and girders to make a shape like a truncated canoe, Sally rose, went to the child-size chest of drawers beyond the bed, tugged open the top drawer and came back with a yellowish Chilprufe vest which she folded slowly, trying several methods, until she had a shape which fitted the bottom of the cradle. Settling the doll into place she sat down again, now leaning against Vincentâs arm and watching while he worked at the first support.
âWeâll need another of these,â he said. âWould you like to find the pieces for itâjust the same as Iâve got here?â
âNo, thank you.â
Neither of them spoke until Vincent had finished the second support and attached it and a motor to the base-plates.
âNow comes the tricky part,â he said. âYou see, this wheelâs going to go round and round and push this crank and Iâve got to join the other end to this wheel so that it goes round for a bit and then goes back. To make the cradle rock to and fro, you see. If Iâm not careful weâll have Mary whirling round and round as if she was on the wheel at a fairgroundâexcept the motor isnât strong enough for that, probably.â
âMummyâs not used to having me,â said Sally. âThatâs why she forgets. I lived with Auntie May, but then the judge said I must come and live with Mummy.â
âOh, I see. Do you like it at Snailwood?â
âIf only I could go in the garden when I wanted.â
âLook, just let me finish thisâit wonât take five minutesâand then weâll go and look for your mother and ask if I can take you out till tea. O.K.?â
âIf you want to,â she said, apparently as dismissive as ever. She contrived to appear as though she was watching Vincent assemble the cradle because there was nothing more interesting to do, but in another sense she was attending closely enough to impede the movement of his left arm.
âYour coatâs scritchy,â she said, stroking the tweed sleeve.
âSorry about that.â
âTake it