“You must try and be patient with me, John.”

“It is not a matter of patience, child, but food and good wine.”

She put a hand to her throat.

“I could not touch anything in this place.”

He looked at her with a smile.

“Not even if it came in my pocket?”

“I will try, John.”

“Of course you will. I have work to do here before we start.”

He brought out a flask from his pocket, and food that Mrs. Winnie had wrapped up in a clean white napkin. There were some little cakes and some baked meat laid in slices between slips of home-made bread. Barbara looked at them, and then gave him a first sad smile.

“It is gross of me, John, but those cakes make me feel hungry.”