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By Root 10610 0

that Alison would not take my lukewarm offer. I came to a decision. A physical confrontation, even the proximity that Alison's coming to the island might represent, was unthinkable. Whatever happened, if I met her, it must be in Athens. If he invited me, I could easily make some excuse and not go. But if he didn't, then after all I would have Alison to fall back on. I won either way. The bell rang again for me. It was lunchtime. I collected my things and drunk with the sun, walked heavily up the path. But I was covertly trying to watch in every direction, preternaturally on the alert for events in the masque. As I walked through the windswept trees to the house, I expected some strange new sight to emerge, to see both twins together--I didn't know. I was wrong. There was nothing. My lunch was laid; one place. Maria did not appear. Under the muslin there was _taramasalata_, boiled eggs, and a plate of loquats. By the end of the meal under the windy colonnade I had banned Alison from my mind and was ready for anything that Conchis might now offer. To make things easier, I went through the pine trees to where I had lain and read of Robert Foulkes the Sunday before. I took no book. But lay on my back and shut my eyes.

33

I was given no time to sleep. I had not been lying there five minutes before I heard a rustle and, simultaneously, smelt the sandalwood perfume. I pretended to be asleep. The rustle came closer. I heard the tiny crepitation of pine needles. Her feet were just behind my head. There was a louder rustle; she had sat down, and very close behind me. I thought she would drop a cone, tickle my nose. But in a very low voice she began to recite, half singing. _A frog he would a-wooing go,_ _Whether his mother would let him or no._ _So off he marched with his nice new hat_ _And on the way he met with a rat._ _And they came to the door of the mouse's hall,_ _They gave a loud knock and they gave a loud call._ _Pray, Mrs. Mouse, are you within?_ _Oh yes, Mr. Rat, I'm learning to spin._ _Pray, Mrs. Mouse, will you give us some beer?_ _Young froggy and I are fond of good cheer._ _But as they were all a merry-making_ _The cat and her kittens came tumbling in._ _The cat she seized the rat by the crown;_ _The kittens they pulled the little mouse down._ _This put poor frog in a terrible fright,_ _So he took his new hat and wished them good night._ _As froggy was crossing him over a brook,_ _A lily-white duck gob-gobbled him up._ _So that was an end of one, two and three,_ _Riddle-me-ro, riddle-me-ree._ All the time I was silent, and kept my eyes closed. She teased the words; I was the frog. A willing frog; the wind blew in the pines above, she said each couplet in her dry-sweet voice. Alter each couplet, she paused. A little silence, the wind. Then the next couplet. She finished. Without moving, I opened my eyes and looked back. A fiendish green and black face, with protuberant fire-red eyes, glared down at me. I twisted over. She was holding a Chinese carnival mask on a stick, in her left hand. I saw the scar. I grinned, and she lowered the mask to her nose and stared over it at me with taunting eyes. She had changed into a long-sleeved white blouse and a long grey skirt and her hair was tied back by a black velvet bow. I pushed the mask aside. She was smiling. "I have come to gobble you up." "I haven't even been a-wooing yet." She half raised the mask again and looked at me over the top of it with silent incredulity. "Well, I haven't been a-wooing you yet." "You cannot woo me." "Why not?" "Forbidden." "By you?" "By everything." She put her hands round her enskirted knees and leant back and stared up through the branches at the sky. A fine throat. She was wearing absurd black lace-up boots. "I saw your twin sister this morning." "That was very clever. I have no sister." "Yes you have. She was standing with a charming young man dressed in black. It was quite a shock. To see him dressed at all." She looked down, and made no answer. "Where did you hide?" "I went home." "Over there?" I pointed towards the sea. "Yes. Over there."