‘We met Gwen Norton while Mummy was wheeling me to your house this afternoon,’ she went on. ‘Funny how old feelings persist! Ever since I’ve known her I’ve felt sorry for Gwen. When we first came to Bullcaster we lived next door to each other. We worked in the same office. Her face was always covered with spots, and she was always running after boys and never catching any. It was rather pathetic.’

A long, sleek car glided past them with headlights gleaming, although it was still quite light.

Eve continued: ‘I still felt superior to her when she stopped by us this afternoon. I didn’t think of her as having two legs and two arms. I just thought of her as poor little Gwen Norton who was always mad with me because I monopolised all her potential boy-friends at local hops.’

She laughed clearly, a small bell ringing from a ruined church.

‘She had been talking to us for five minutes before I realised that she was patronising me, forgiving me for all my trivial successes in the past, pitying me for the years I’ve still got to live.’