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greetings) from the crowd. With him Incent, eyes flashing, aroused, palpitating, but doing his best to present the stern and dedicated seriousness appropriate to the military look he aspired to. Like two soldiers they came towards the café, followed by the usual adoring females and some younger males.
    They had seated themselves before Incent saw me. Far from showing guilt, he seemed delighted. He came, first running, and then, remembering his new role, striding across. ‘Wasn’t that just the most moving thing you have ever seen?’ he demanded, and sat down opposite me, beaming.
    Newspapers were brought in. Headlines: ‘Inspiring … Moving … Inspirational …’ Incent seized one, and although he had for the past several hours been involved in this meeting, sat poring over an account of it.
    Krolgul, who had seen me, met my eyes with a sardonic, almost cynical smile, which he instantly abolished in favour of his revolutionary sternness. There he sat, in the corner, positioned so that he could watch through the windows how the crowd dispersed, and at the same time survey the interior of the café. Into which now came a group of the miners’ leaders, headed by Calder, who sat down in a corner, having nodded at Krolgul, but no more.
    Incent did not notice this. He was gazing at the men with such passionate admiration that Krolgul directed towards him a cold, warning stare.
    â€˜They are such marvellous,
wonderful
people,’ saidIncent, trying to attract the attention of Calder, who at last gave him a friendly nod.
    â€˜Incent,’
I said.
    â€˜Oh, I know, you are going to punish me. You are going to send me back to that dreadful hospital!’
    â€˜You seemed to me to be rather enjoying it.’
    â€˜Ah, but that was different. Now I am in the thick of the real thing.’
    The café was packed. Everyone in it was a miner; Volyenadnans every one, except for three – me, Incent, Krolgul. All foreigners are assumed to be of the Volyen administration, or spies from either Volyen or – but these suspicions were recent – Sirius. The miners, fifty or so of them, here after the rally to discuss their situation, to feel their plight, were obviously wondering how they came to be represented by Krolgul and by his shadow, Incent.
    Krolgul, sensing how people were looking at him, occupied himself in earnest, frowning discussion with a young woman from this town, a native, and in moving papers about, the image of efficiency.
    But it was easy to see that Calder was not satisfied. He exchanged a few words with his associates and stood up.
    â€˜Krolgul,’ he said. It was not a large place, and by standing and speaking, he unified it.
    Krolgul acknowledged him with a modification of the fist-high salute: he lifted a loose fist from the table to half shoulder height, and opened it and shut it once or twice like a mouth.
    â€˜I and the mates here are not altogether happy with the way things are going,’ Calder said.
    â€˜But we concretized the agreed objectives,’ said Krolgul.
    â€˜That is for us to say, isn’t it?’
    Given this confrontation, for it was one, Krolgul could only agree; but Incent was half up, holding on to his chair, his face dimmed by disappointment. ‘Oh,’ he said, ‘but that was the most
moving
 … the most … the most
moving …’
    â€˜Yes, yes,’ said Calder. ‘But I don’t think it was entirely on the lines we agreed.’
    â€˜But in our analysis of the situation we decided –’ began Krolgul, and was stopped by Calder’s, ‘This one here, is he a friend of yours?’
    Meaning, of course, me. Fifty pairs of eyes focused on me – hard, grey, distrustful eyes.
    â€˜Well, I think I could say that,’ said Krolgul, with a heaving of silent laughter that could have been taken various ways, but which Calder took badly.
    â€˜Speak for