” It’s Nurse Grey,” I explained to my host. ” She’s off duty for a few hours I suppose.”

He nodded. ” Was she on her way down to the beach?”

” Yes.”

” Polhorgan Cove belongs to me by rights but I was soon led to understand that the natives wouldn’t think very kindly of me if I made it a private beach. There’s a gate and hedges shutting off the garden; but you go through the gate right on to the beach. “

” It’s rather like Pendorric.”

” The same arrangement. Pendorrics own their beach and I own mine, but I don’t think half the people who scramble over the rocks at low tide know that.”

” If the beaches were fenced off it would mean people couldn’t walk along for very far; they’d have to keep coming up and making a detour.”

” Always believed that what was mine was mine and I had a right to say what was to be done with it. I was very unpopular when I first came, I can tell you. I’ve grown mellow. You learn as you get older. Sometimes if you stand out for your rights you lose what might mean more to you.”

He was momentarily sad, and I fancied that he looked a little more tired than when I had last seen him.

” Yes, I think there’s a lot in that,” I said.

” There you were, with your mother and father on that island … perfectly happy, and I don’t suppose you owned the house you lived in, let alone the ground all round and a private beach.”

” It’s true. We were very poor and very happy.”

He frowned, and I wondered if I had been tactless. He went on rather brusquely: ” Nurse Grey goes down to the beach a great deal. Do you use yours much?”

” Not so far. But I shall, of course. I’ve hardly settled in yet.”

” I’m taking up too much of your time.”

” But I like coming and I enjoy playing chess.”

He was silent for a while, and then again he led me back to the subject of my life on the island.

I was surprised that he could be such a good listener, but while I talked he remained attentive and fired so many questions at me in his rather brusque manner that I went on talking about myself.

When the tea had been cleared away I drew up the exquisite little table on which we played; it was a dainty piece of French origin with inlaid ivory and tortoise-shell squares; I put out the ivory chessmen, which were as beautiful as the table, and the game began. When we had been playing for about fifteen minutes, to my surprise I had him at a disadvantage. I was delightedly pursuing my strategy when, looking up, I saw that he was in considerable discomfort. ” Sorry,” he muttered. ” Please forgive me.” He was groping in his pocket.

“You’ve lost something?”

” A little silver box. I always keep it near me.”

I stood up and looking about me saw a small silver box on the floor at his feet. I picked it up and gave it to him. His relief was apparent as he quickly opened it and took a small white tablet from it. This he placed under his tongue. For some seconds he sat back gripping his chair.

I was alarmed because I knew that he was ill, and I got up, going to the bell to call the manservant, but seeing what I was about to do.

Lord Polhorgan shook his head. I stood uncertainly. ” Better in a minute,” he muttered.

“But you’re ill. Shouldn’t I …?” He continued to shake his head while I stood helplessly by. In about five minutes he began to look a little better and it was as though a tension had been eased.

He drew a deep breath and murmured: ” Better now. I’m sorry.”

” Please don’t be so sorry. Just tell me what I can do.”

” Just sit down … quietly. In a few minutes I’ll be all right.” I obeyed, watching him anxiously. The gilded French clock over the ornate fireplace ticked loudly, and apart from that there was silence in the room. From far away I could hear the gentle swishing of the waves against the rocks.

A few more minutes passed and he gave a deep sigh. Then he smiled at me.

“I’m sorry that happened while you were here. Mislaid my tablets.

Don’t usually stir without them. They must have dropped out of my pocket. “

“Please don’t apologise. I’m the one wfao is sorry. I’m afraid I didn’t know what to do.”

” There’s nothing much anyone can do. If I’d had my box I’d have slipped a tablet into my mouth while you were busy over the game and you wouldn’t have noticed anything. As it was … I delayed a little too long.”

” I’m glad I found them.”

” You look sad. Shouldn’t, you know. I’m an old man. And one of the disadvantages of being old is that one is too old to deal with the disadvantages. But I’ve had my day. Besides, there’s a lot of life in me yet. Don’t like mislaying my tablets though. Could be dangerous.”

” What wonderful tablets they must be!”

” Not always effective. They are, ninety-nine times out of a hundred, though. TNT. Expand the veins and arteries.”

” And if they’re not?”

” Then it’s a dose of morphia.”

” I’m terribly sorry.”

He patted my hand. ” The old engine’s creaking,” he said. ” I need decarbonising. Pity I can’t ask you to run me into old Jim Bond’s and have it done, eh?”

” Shouldn’t you rest now?”

” Don’t you worry. I’ll phone my doctor and ask him to come in and see me. Haven’t been feeling so well this last day or so.”

“Shouldn’t we phone at once?”

” Nurse Grey will do it when she comes in. Can’t imagine how those tablets came to be on the floor.”

” Perhaps there’s a hole in your pocket.”

He felt, and shook his head.

” You know, I think you ought to rest. Shall I go now? Or better still, telephone the doctor?”

“All right, then. His number’s in the little book by the telephone.

Dr. Clement. “

I went at once to the book and dialled the number. I was fortunate, for Dr. Clement happened to be in. I told him that I was speaking from Polhorgan and that Lord Polhorgan wanted him to look in soon. ” Right,” said Dr. Clement. ” I’ll be along.”

I replaced the receiver and went back to the table. ” Can I do anything for you? ” I asked.

” Yes, sit down and finish the game. I’m afraid I let you get the better of me. I was thinking about my silver box. Just to show you how quickly I can recover we’ll continue the game and I’ll beat you yet.”

I kept taking uneasy glances at him as we played, which made him chuckle, and before we had finished the game Dr. Clement arrived. I rose to go, but Lord Polhorgan wouldn’t hear of it.

” I’m all right now,” he said. ” I only let Mrs. Pendorric call you because she was anxious about me. Tell her there’s nothing to be done for me. The trouble was. Doctor, I’d mislaid my TNT.s and it was some minutes before Mrs. Pendorric found them.”

” You should always keep them within reach,” said Dr. Clement. ” I know. I know. Can’t think what happened. Must have pulled (hem out of my pocket. Have some tea. Perhaps Mrs. Pendorric Would ring for Dawson. That’s cold by now.”

The doctor declined the tea and I said I really should go. I was certain that he would want to be alone with his patient. ” The game’s unfinished,” protested Lord Polhorgan.

” We can finish it next time.”

” I’ve frightened you away,” said Dr. Clement almost wistfully. I was determined to go, and I left. As I came through the portico I glanced at my watch and saw that “I was half an hour earlier than I had intended to be, so instead of making my way to the road, or the path which led to the short cut Rachel and the twins had shown me that afternoon, I thought I would like to go down to the beach by Way of the cliff garden and scramble over the rocks to Pendorric Cove, and through our own garden up to the house.

The tide was out, so it would be possible. I walked round to the side of the house and saw one of the Polhorgan gardeners emerging from a greenhouse. I asked him how I could get to the beach from the garden and he offered to show me the way.

He led me along a path bounded on each side by a box hedge; at the end of this path was a small gate, and passing through it I came on the cliff garden. It was a wonderful sight, for in this semitropical climate plants grew in profusion. There was a palm tree in a sheltered alcove which’re minded me of those in the quadrangle; and the hydrangea blooms were even bigger than those at Pendorric; they flaunted their brilliant blues and pinks, whites and multi colours There seemed to be hundreds of fuchsias with larger flowers than I had seen before; and great white arum lilies which filled the air with their slightly funereal scent.

The path I had taken wound in zigzag fashion towards the sea to eliminate the strain of walking down such a steep slope; first I faced east, then west, then turned again as I went past borders of flowers whose names I did not know, past seats which had been set under arches and in alcoves the trelliswork of which was ablaze with Paul Scarlett, American Pillar and Golden Dawn roses. I thought that if the sun were shining and the sea blue it would be almost too dazzling. But to-day was a grey day and the cry of the gulls seemed melancholy as they swooped and soared.

I came at length to the little gate which opened on to the beach, and as I stood in Polhorgan Cove I looked back at that wonderful garden set out on the cliff-side to the stone walls of Polhorgan’s Folly looming above.

Not such a Folly, I thought. A lovely house in a lovely spot. The tide was well out. I knew that at high tide it came up almost as far as the gates of Pendorric garden, and, I imagined, those of Polhorgan too. It was only when the tide was really out that one could walk along the beach. Even as far as I could see, the place was deserted.