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entirely unsuccessful. Science to me is like the world – there is much to explore, much to discover. One gains such a paltry slice of knowledge in just one lifetime.’ He bowed his head. ‘Your pardon cousin. Henceforth I shall not indulge myself without greater caution. That much I promise.’
    â€˜It’s not going to be so easy now that Will’s back,’ I said. ‘And you’d better stop smoking in the house. He’s suspicious already. I know he is.’
    â€˜If you say I must not, then I will not.’
    â€˜He’s cunning as a weasel, eyes in the back of his head,’ I said.
    â€˜What a weasel cannot see a weasel cannot catch,’said Walter. ‘Do not trouble yourself, sweet Bess. All will be well.’
    But I knew my big brother Will a lot better than he did, and I wasn’t quite so sure.

CHAPTER 4
    NOW THAT WILL WAS BACK HOME I SEEMED TO see less and less of my friend Walter. That’s not to say that he wasn’t there. He was, but not so often. Before he had stayed by me almost all day and every day. I only had to cough to be sure he was there. But more and more now my coughing signals brought no response and I began to wonder where he was and what he was doing on his own.
    It didn’t help that when he was with me we could no longer be sure of being alone anywhere. However hard we tried, Walter and I could not lose ourselves for very long. Somehow, wherever we went Will would appear sooner or later, and all too often he had caught me talking to myself, or so he thought.This everlasting game of hide-and-seek upset both Walter and me. Perhaps that was why he stayed away. I made every effort to winkle out of Walter what he did when he was alone – I was curious, that’s all – but the most he ever revealed was in these few cryptic words: ‘A ghost knows well enough how to pass the time,’ he said. ‘He’s had time enough to learn.’ And he said no more. However, I was to find out soon enough how my friend Walter was passing his time.
    One morning just before breakfast Will came storming into the kitchen waving his fishing rod like a weapon. He was crying with rage. ‘Who said you could borrow my rod?’ I gaped at him. He appealed to Mother. ‘Look what she’s gone and done. The line’s all caught up and the reel’s jammed.’
    â€˜I never touched it,’ I protested. Right away I knew who the culprit was. ‘Honest I never. I haven’t been fishing since you came back.’
    â€˜P’raps your father took it,’ said Mother, trying to calm the storm. ‘You’d better ask him before you go accusing your sister like that.’
    â€˜I
have
asked him,’ Will shouted. ‘And he told me he’s been too busy to go anywhere near the river forweeks. It was you. Couldn’t be anyone else, could it?’ And he waved the rod in my face.
    â€˜I never touched your silly rod,’ I screamed, knocking it aside. ‘Only that once while you were away. I didn’t think you’d mind, just once.’
    â€˜I’m not talking about then, am I?’ Will said. ‘You messed up my rod, and you’re going to pay for it. The whole thing’s jammed solid.’
    At that very moment Gran came in from the pantry carrying a plate and on the plate were four gleaming silver trout. ‘Well someone’s been fishing,’ she said. ‘And I can tell you it’s not me. Fresh as daisies, these are. Found them on the kitchen table when I came down this morning. Straight out of the river, I’d say.’ She put the plate down on the table and wagged her finger at me. ‘I’ve told you before, Bess. Neither a borrower nor a lender be.’ And she had told me – often. It was one of her little sayings – Gran had hundreds of them and she trotted them out whenever she could.
    Father came in from milking and kicked off his boots by the