His knee hurt. Seeing a milestone, he sat down on it with Bufo for a few moments. For once, he was trying not to think. He wiped the moisture off his forehead with his hand, and then looked up to see Pauline standing in front of him. Her expression did not look conciliatory. He struggled to get to his feet. ‘Stay sitting down, Ludwig,’ said Pauline. ‘You were the one who played silly buggers, so you can just stay where you are.’ ‘OK. But I don’t want to talk.’ ‘No? Then what the fuck were you doing in my place this morning? Coming in like that, talking like that. Who the hell do you think you are?’ Louis watched the grass grow wetter. Best to let Pauline have her say when she was angry, simplest way for it to settle down. In any case, she was completely in the right. And Pauline did have her say, for five long minutes, tearing strips off him with the energy she could put into a four hundred metres race. But at the end of the race, you have to stop. ‘Have you finished?’ asked Louis, looking up.
