9

In the morning, a subdued air was evident. John had told them that Pirrie had shot Millicent, but had let the children think it was an accident. He gave a full account to Roger, who shook his head.

'Cool, isn't he?' We certainly picked up something when we adopted him.'

'Yes,'John said,'we did.'

'Are you going to have trouble, do you think?'

'Not as long as I let him have his own way,' John said.

'Fortunately, his needs seem fairly modest. He felt he had a right to kill his own wife.'

Arm came down to him later, when he was washing in the river. She stood beside him, and looked at the tumbling waters. The sun was shining the length of the valley, but there were clouds directly above them, large and close-pressed.

'Where did you put her body?' she asked him. 'Before I send the children down to wash.'

'Well away from here. You can send them down.*

She looked at him without expression. 'You might as well tell me what happened. Pirrie isn't the sort to have accidents with a rifle, or to kill without a reason.'

He told her, making no attempt to hide anything.

She said: 'And if Pirrie had not appeared just at that moment?'

He shrugged. 'I would have sent her back down, I think. What else can I say?'