III + 

May Week! + 

Joe and Enid were at Cambridge. Vernon had been let in for Ethel, too, as chaperon. The world seemed largely composed of Bents just at present. + 

Joe had burst out at once with: тАЬWhy on earth did you ask Enid?тАЭ + 

He had answered: тАЬOh! Mother went on about itтБатАФit doesnтАЩt really matter.тАЭ + 

Nothing mattered to Vernon just then except one thing. Joe talked privately to Sebastian about that. + 

тАЬIs Vernon really in earnest about this music business? Will he ever be any good? I suppose itтАЩs just a passing craze?тАЭ + 

But Sebastian was unexpectedly serious. + 

тАЬItтАЩs extraordinarily interesting, you know,тАЭ he said. тАЬAs far as I can make out, what Vernon is aiming at is something entirely revolutionary. HeтАЩs mastering now what you might call the main facts, and mastering them at an extraordinary rate. Old Coddington admits that, though, of course, he snorts at VernonтАЩs ideasтБатАФor would if Vernon ever let out about them. The person whoтАЩs interested is old JeffriesтБатАФmathematics! He says VernonтАЩs ideas of music are fourth dimensional. + 

тАЬI donтАЩt know if Vernon will ever pull it offтБатАФor whether heтАЩll be considered as a harmless lunatic. The borderline is very narrow, I imagine. Old Jeffries is very enthusiastic. But not in the least encouraging. He points out, quite rightly, that to attempt to discover something new and force it on the world is always a thankless task, and that in all probability the truths that Vernon is discovering wonтАЩt be accepted for at least another two hundred years. HeтАЩs a queer old codger. Sits about thinking of imaginary curves in spaceтБатАФthat sort of thing. + 

тАЬBut I see his point. Vernon isnтАЩt creating something new. HeтАЩs discovering something thatтАЩs already there. Rather like a scientist. Jeffries says that VernonтАЩs dislike of music as a child is perfectly understandableтБатАФto his ear musicтАЩs incompleteтБатАФitтАЩs like a picture out of drawing. The whole perspective is wrong. It sounds to Vernon likeтБатАФI supposeтБатАФa primitive savageтАЩs music would sound to usтБатАФmostly unendurable discord. + 

тАЬJeffries is full of queer ideas. Start him off on squares and cubes, and geometrical figures and the speed of light, and he goes quite mad. He writes to a German fellow called Einstein. The queer thing is that he isnтАЩt a bit musical, and yet he can seeтБатАФor says he canтБатАФexactly what Vernon is driving at.тАЭ + 

Joe cogitated deeply. + 

тАЬWell,тАЭ she said at last, тАЬI donтАЩt understand a word of all this. But it looks as though Vernon might make a success of it all.тАЭ + 

Sebastian was discouraging. + 

тАЬI wouldnтАЩt say that. Vernon may be a geniusтБатАФand thatтАЩs quite a different thing. Nobody welcomes genius. On the other hand he may be just slightly mad. He sounds mad enough sometimes when he gets goingтБатАФand yet, somehow, IтАЩve always got a kind of feeling that heтАЩs rightтБатАФthat in some odd way he knows what heтАЩs talking about.тАЭ + 

тАЬYouтАЩve heard about Uncle SydneyтАЩs offer?тАЭ + 

тАЬYes. Vernon seems to be turning it down very light-heartedly, and yet, you know, itтАЩs a good thing.тАЭ + 

тАЬYou wouldnтАЩt have him accept it?тАЭ flamed out Joe. + 

Sebastian remained provokingly cool. + 

тАЬI donтАЩt know. It needs thinking about. Vernon may have wonderful theories about this music businessтБатАФthereтАЩs nothing to show that heтАЩs ever going to be able to put them into practice.тАЭ + 

тАЬYouтАЩre maddening,тАЭ said Joe, turning away. + 

Sebastian annoyed her nowadays. All his cool analytical faculties seemed to be uppermost. If he had enthusiasms, he hid them carefully. + 

And to Joe, just now, enthusiasm seemed the most necessary thing in the world. She had a passion for lost causes, for minorities. She was a passionate champion of the weak and oppressed. + 

Sebastian, she felt, was only interested in successes. She accused him in her own mind of judging everyone and everything from a monetary standard. Most of the time they were together, they fought and bickered incessantly. + 

Vernon, too, seemed separated from her. Music was the only thing he wanted to talk about, and even then on lines that were not familiar to her. + 

His preoccupation was entirely with instrumentsтБатАФtheir scope and power, and the violin which Joe herself played seemed the instrument in which he was least interested. Joe was quite unfitted to talk about clarinets, trombones and bassoons. VernonтАЩs ambition in life seemed to be to form friendships with players of these instruments so as to be able to acquire some practical as opposed to theoretical knowledge. + 

тАЬDonтАЩt you know any bassoon players?тАЭ + 

Joe said she didnтАЩt. + 

Vernon said that she might as well make herself useful, and try to pick up some musical friends. тАЬEven a French horn would do,тАЭ he said kindly. + 

He drew an experimental finger round the edge of his finger-bowl. Joe shuddered and clapped both hands to her ears. The sound increased in volume. Vernon smiled dreamily and ecstatically. + 

тАЬOne ought to be able to catch that and harness it. I wonder how it could be done. ItтАЩs a lovely round sound, isnтАЩt it? Like a circle.тАЭ + 

Sebastian took the finger-bowl forcibly away from him, and he wandered round the room and rang various goblets experimentally. + 

тАЬNice lot of glasses in this room,тАЭ he said appreciatively. + 

тАЬYouтАЩre drowning sailors,тАЭ said Joe. + 

тАЬCanтАЩt you be satisfied with bells and a triangle?тАЭ asked Sebastian. тАЬAnd a little gong to beat.тАЭ + 

тАЬNo,тАЭ said Vernon. тАЬI want glass.тБатАКтБатАж LetтАЩs have the Venetian and the Waterford together.тБатАКтБатАж IтАЩm glad you have these aesthetic tastes, Sebastian. Have you got a common glass that I can smash?тБатАФall the tinkling fragments. Wonderful stuffтБатАФglass!тАЭ + 

тАЬSymphony of goblets,тАЭ said Joe scathingly. + 

тАЬWell, why not? I suppose somebody once pulled a bit of catgut tight and found it made a squawky noise, and somebody once blew through a reed and liked it. I wonder when they first thought of making things of brass and metal. I dare say some book tells you.тАЭ + 

тАЬColumbus and the egg. You and SebastianтАЩs glass goblets. Why not a slate and a slate pencil?тАЭ + 

тАЬIf youтАЩve got oneтБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

тАЬIsnтАЩt he too funny?тАЭ giggled Enid. And that stopped the conversationтБатАФfor the time, at any rate. + 

Not that Vernon really minded her presence. He was far too wrapped up in his ideas to be sensitive about them. Enid and Ethel were welcome to laugh as much as they chose. + 

But he was slightly disturbed by the lack of harmony between Joe and Sebastian. The three of them had always been such a united trio. + 

тАЬI donтАЩt think this тАШliving your own lifeтАЩ stunt agrees with Joe,тАЭ said Vernon to his friend. тАЬSheтАЩs like an angry cat most of the time. I canтАЩt think why Mother agreed. She was dead against it about six months ago. I canтАЩt imagine what made her change her mind, can you?тАЭ + 

A smile creased SebastianтАЩs long yellow face. + 

тАЬI could make a guess,тАЭ he said. + 

тАЬWhat?тАЭ + 

тАЬI shanтАЩt say. In the first place, I may be wrong, and in the second place I should hate to interfere with the (possibly) normal course of events.тАЭ + 

тАЬThatтАЩs your tortuous Russian mind.тАЭ + 

тАЬI dare say.тАЭ + 

Vernon didnтАЩt insist. He was much too lazy to probe for reasons that werenтАЩt given him. + 

Day succeeded day. They danced, breakfasted, drove at incredibly fast speeds through the countryside, sat and smoked and talked in VernonтАЩs rooms, danced again. It was a point of honour not to sleep. At five in the morning they went on the river. + 

VernonтАЩs right arm ached. Enid fell to his share and she was a heavy partner. Well, it didnтАЩt matter. Uncle Sydney had seemed pleased, and he was a decent old boy. Jolly good of him to make that offer. What a pity it was that he (Vernon) was not more of a Bent and less of a Deyre. + 

A vague memory stirred in his mindтБатАФsomebody saying, тАЬThe Deyres, Vernon, are neither happy nor successful. They canтАЩt make good.тАЭ Who was it who had said that? A womanтАЩs voice, it had been, in a gardenтБатАФand there had been curling cigarette smoke.тБатАКтБатАж + 

SebastianтАЩs voice said: тАЬHeтАЩs going to sleep. Wake up, you blighter! Chuck a chocolate at him, Enid.тАЭ + 

A chocolate whizzed past his head. EnidтАЩs voice said with a giggle: + 

тАЬI canтАЩt throw straight for nuts.тАЭ + 

She giggled again as though she thought it very funny. Tiresome girlтБатАФalways giggling. Besides, her teeth stuck out. + 

He heaved himself over on his side. Not usually very appreciative of the beauties of Nature, this morning he was struck by the beauty of the world. The pale gleaming river, here and there on the banks a flowering tree. + 

The boat drifted slowly downstreamтБатАКтБатАж a queer silent enchanted world. Because, he supposed, there were no human beings about. It was, when you came to think of it, an excess of human beings who spoiled the world. Always chattering and talking and giggling, and asking you what you were thinking of when all you wanted was to be let alone. + 

He always remembered feeling that as a kid. If theyтАЩd only let him alone. He smiled to himself as he remembered the ridiculous games he had been in the habit of inventing. Mr.┬аGreen! He remembered Mr.┬аGreen perfectly. And those three playmatesтБатАФwhat were their names, now? + 

A funny childтАЩs worldтБатАФa world of dragons and princesses and strangely concrete realities mixed up with them. There had been a story someone had told himтБатАФa ragged prince with a little green hat and a princess in a tower whose hair when she combed it was so golden that it could be seen in four kingdoms. + 

He raised his head a little, looked along the river bank. There was a punt tied up under some trees. Four people in itтБатАФbut Vernon only saw one. + 

A girl in a pink evening-frock with hair like spun gold standing under a tree laden with pink blossom. + 

He looked and he looked. + 

тАЬVernon.тАЭ Joe kicked him correctively. тАЬYouтАЩre not asleep, because your eyes are open. YouтАЩve been spoken to four times.тАЭ + 

тАЬSorry. I was looking at that lot over there. ThatтАЩs rather a pretty girl, donтАЩt you think so?тАЭ + 

He tried to make his tone lightтБатАФcasual. Inside him a riotous voice was saying: тАЬPretty? SheтАЩs lovely. SheтАЩs the most lovely girl in the world. IтАЩm going to get to know her. IтАЩve got to know her. IтАЩm going to marry her.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

Joe heaved herself up on her elbows, looked, uttered an exclamation. + 

тАЬWhy!тАЭ she exclaimed, тАЬI do believeтБатАФyes, IтАЩm sure it is. ItтАЩs Nell Vereker.тАЭ + 