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buildings framed. Her pale elongated Grecian face and especially her large eyes reminded Ray of a statue, though the rest of her rather undermined the image. The arms the long white dress exposed were thinner than seemed healthy. Of course these days many girls of her age were, except how old was that? Ray was failing to guess—he'd always been able when he was a teacher, and he was unexpectedly dismayed to have lost the skill—when she looked away from Tim and saw the other watchers. She passed a hand over her face from the high domed forehead to the long chin as though slipping off a mask and at once, with a fluid movement that her dress concealed, was out of sight. "Sorry, Tim," Doug said, though with some amusement. "We didn't mean to scare her off."
    "Doesn't matter," Tim mumbled, blushing.
    "So may we hear your thoughts, Timothy?" Julian said.
    Tim seemed to have to recapture his wits before saying "I'd like the drive off the road."
    "The off-road tour for Timothy." As Julian tapped the tiny keyboard he said "Natalie tells me you and Sandra used to like cycling on holiday, Raymond. Do you still?"
    "I'll ask her." In an attempt to deflect any speculation about her Ray said "What about William?"
    "Some cycles have child seats at the rear. Well, that's my choice for now," Julian said with just a hint of petulance. "I thought it might be good for all concerned."
    "I think you've left somebody out of the choosing," Natalie said.
    "Not at all, my love. Let's be hearing from you, Jonquil, before we speak to your grandmother." Without a pause he said twice as sharply "Jonquil."
    Ray was close to pointing out that she'd had no time to answer when he saw her face. She was smiling at someone on the street, and for an unsettling moment he thought the girl who had taken Tim's fancy was back. Certainly the boy watching Jonquil was just as thin, and the little that Ray could distinguish of the long face against the sky from which the crimson had begun to drain reminded, him of the Greek girl's face. As Jonquil parted her lips Julian held up an open hand to the newcomer. "Nothing here for you," he called. "Kindly move on."
    Several people stared at him from the darkening street as the boy turned away. In a moment Ray couldn't see him for the crowd. "We ought to tell you that's quite rude, Jules," Doug said, "holding up your hand like that to anyone in Greece."
    "There's been rudeness, I agree. Did you have something to say, Jonquil?"
    "Make your day an ace one," Tim said.
    This seemed to hearten her or at any rate to head off some words she didn't utter. "We haven't got any days on the beach," she said.
    "I assume we'll be filling in with those." Julian poised a finger above his mobile and then erased an inadvertent B it had summoned up. "Is that really all that comes into your mind?"
    "I'd like to go where she said it's best for shopping."
    "Where Samantha said." When looking hard at Jonquil failed to make her say the name, Julian began to type. "I should think the rest of us will find more than that to do there," he said. "Will you be calling Sandra now, Raymond?"
    Ray found his phone and brought up her number. He touched the call icon so gently he felt timid, and couldn't help counting as the bell rang. He'd heard twelve shrill notes in pairs when Sandra said "It's all right, I'm here."
    He turned on the loudspeaker and laid the phone on the table. "How's everyone?"
    "We've been having a lovely swing, but someone's getting hungry. Shall we wait for you?"
    "We won't be long now, William," Natalie called. "Just be good for grandma."
    "Evadne was saying there's a saint's day celebration," Sandra said, "so we can make that my day if everybody likes. That's still nobody, William. Just a shadow."
    "What is?" Natalie demanded.
    "He keeps thinking someone's in our room, Ray. It's just from the last of the sun."
    "What did we say, William?" Julian said as he typed Sandra's choice. "Behave yourself for your grandmother and don't play tricks