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She had known for a long time now that John was vicious; if he didn't see eye to eye with you he'd take it out of you in one way or another. Perhaps it was merely passing you day after day in the house without speaking until you were forced to make a move towards reconciliation. Or his retaliation might take the form of light table chat around the doings of Paul Birkett who was now at the Technical College.

The Birketts, like most of their friends, had faded away when the scandal hit the town. Not continuing at school, she lost touch with Anna, and Paul, the recipient of her adolescent painful love, slid from her horizon like a ship to an unknown destination. Only at times, when she had incurred John's displeasure would she hear with whom Paul was now voyaging. First it was Tracy Meekan, an art student; next it was Gwen Stapeley; then one evening at supper he told his mother of Paul's engagement to a Miss Linda Ratcliffe, whose uncle was a lord.

This was the night that Terry had bounced up from the table, exclaiming, "You make me sick!" Terry didn't like rows and it meant a lot that he had stood up to John, and on her behalf, on this occasion.

"Do you go and see your grannie every Saturday?"

"No, one week I'm on duty in the shop until six; that week I go and see her on a Sunday."

you know how things are. What about that? "

"Thank you."

"What's your usual time for coming?"

"Around two-thirty."

"O.K. then. When he's settled in I'll come and let you know. That's if we don't run into each other afore then." He cast a swift glance at her, but she was looking ahead. Her face was straight and he thought,

"Aw, we're back to square one."

When he dropped her on the outskirts of the town she stood on the pavement looking down at him as he sat with his hands on the wheel, and again he had the glimpse of the young Gail, for she smiled widely now and said, "Thanks, Robbie. I've ... I've enjoyed this afternoon."

The, too. " He grinned up at her.

"Well; be seeing you."

"Yes, Robbie. Goodbye."

"Bye."

He set the car off with a zoom. My, my! Would you believe that?

Wonders would never cease; she was quite human. Wait till he told his mam he'd had Miss Gail Blenheim out to tea, and she had promised to come and see Harry. What would she say to that? She'd say her son was a clever lad, that's what she'd say, and he felt a clever lad. In this moment he felt powerful, capable of achieving anything he set his mind to, anything.

FOUR

Robbie was waiting when Harry stepped through the prison gate. He did not immediately speak to him because for once he felt embarrassed. It was Harry who said quietly, "This is good of you, Robbie."

The main's waiting along the road. " He jerked his head towards the car and they both turned and walked towards it.

Janet was sitting in the back of the car. She looked up as Harry looked through the window; then when Robbie opened the door for him he bent down and when he was half in he twisted round as if he was going to speak to her, but he turned away again and settled in his seat, and no one spoke until they were well out of town. Then Robbie came out with the only thing his mind gave to him.

"It's a grand day," he said.

There was a moment's pause; then Harry repeated his words, "Yes, it's a grand day, Robbie."

As if Janet had been released by a spring she now bent forward and touching Harry's shoulder, said eagerly, "Oh, it's good to see you ..

Harry." She had just prevented herself from adding, "Out."

He put up his hand and placed it over hers and turned his face towards her.

"It's good to see you, Janet." He looked into her face, then turned his eyes to Robbie, and said huskily, "What would I have done without you both?"

"God provides, " said Janet.

"Huh!" Harry's laugh was quiet, even gentle, but mirthless, and he swung his head for a moment, then stopped suddenly and, bringing his eyes back to her, he said, "Well, there may be something in it after all, He provided the both of you."

Robbie now broke in, his voice holding an excited note, "I've

"Yes."

"I've bought a mansion."

Oh, our Robbie! " Janet clicked her tongue.

"Don't exaggerate so."

"Who's exaggeratin'?" When he turned round as he spoke to her she cried, "Look where you're going, you'll have us in the ditch."

"Well, that will learn you not to contradict me. As I said, I've bought a mansion, Harry."

"Dropping to bits with woodworm and dry rot," said Janet under her breath.

"Do you know Scarfield Mill, Harry?"

"Yes, Robbie. Yes, I know Scarfield Mill."

"Well, that's the place I've bought, and isn't that a mansion?"

"You've bought ... Scarfield Mill? But wasn't it derelict? Is that the same place?"

"That's the same place," put in Janet.

"He's mad, but I couldn't talk him into sanity."

"You don't live in Baker Street any longer?"

"We don't live in Baker Street any more. Harry."

There was a pause before Harry said, "It sounds interesting, Robbie."

"It is. Just you wait until you see it. Harry. The prospects are endless."

"You've said something there," muttered Janet.

"I wish you'd shut up woman; if I have any more of your old buck I'll put you in lodgings."

"Any time, any time," said Janet, laughing now.

"It would suit me.

Life would be much easier, I'll tell you that. "

And so they talked, trying to lighten Harry's first hour of freedom.

And it was almost an hour to the minute when they passed the pit head turned down the road and up the narrow high-banked lane towards the house.

"There! What do you think?" Robbie swept his hands from one corner of the house to the other, and as he did so Janet went in through the front door, saying over his shoulder, "Don't tell him all at once, Harry; it might be to much for him."

Harry looked at the paneless windows, the gaping roofs, the Then he looked at Robbie's face and he knew it- was no joke. He knew that young Robbie Dunn had taken it on and was proud of it. He nodded at him now, saying, "As you say, I think it has prospects, although it will require a lot of work."

"Oh, that will get done with the years. But isn't it in a lovely setting? There's three acres of land with it and open country all around, and you can't see the pit head unless you go up the hill beyond there; and then even that looks good. But come on in, I'll show you your room."

"You've got it furnished?" Harry sounded surprised as he walked slowly towards the front door, and Robbie said over his shoulder, "Just the stuff from Baker Street. But that won't have house room once I really get going. I mean to have the place lined with antiques. Mam laughs, but I'm serious."

In the hall Harry looked about him and said, "It must have been a beautiful place at one time."

"Aye, an' it will again. Come on through this way." Robbie led him down a passage and into a room that was cluttered with furniture and full of sunshine, and there Janet, busying herself at a calor gas stove, said, "We're in an awful mess. Harry, but I'll get straightened up within the next few days. Sit down, sit down and have a cup of tea and a bite."

Harry sat down and forced himself to eat the beef and tongue and salad that Janet heaped on his plate. It was odd, but he missed the clatter of the tin plates and the distinctive smell of men, imprisoned men.

During the whole course of the meal he hardly spoke, leaving the talking to Robbie and Janet, who both, in their own particular ways, were trying to make things easy for him. He knew that he should say something off his own bat, but he couldn't. That was one of the things he'd have to get used to again, talking, starting a conversation. Yet there were words gnawing at his mind, forming a simple question:

"Have you seen anything of Gail?" But they were impossible to get out.

Then Robbie gave him the answer without the question having to be asked. Leaning towards him, he said, "I've got some good news for you."

His face moved into what should have been a smile as he waited.

l we seen ^-raii a culiuic ui. times rdi-ay an sue s> yuui^ uj come an' see you. "

Harry put his cup slowly down on to his saucer and stared at it; then he rubbed one lip over the other several times before he asked simply,

"When?"

"Well, it could be next Saturday or Sunday, Sunday likely. Yes, it'll be Sunday."

"But where will I meet her?"

"I told you, she's coming to see you here."

"Oh." Harry straightened his shoulders and, his voice slow, he said,

"That's almost a week ahead; I couldn't put you out like that."

"What you talkin' about?" Robbie's voice was high now.

"You're going to stay along of us."

"Oh no. No I' Harry looked at Janet who was sitting quietly at the end of the table crumbling some bread on her plate, and he added, " It's more than good of you, but . but I just couldn't. "

"Well, where do you intend to go?" Robbie's voice was rough and Harry turned towards him, saying, "Well, I'll, I'll get a room, and a job of sorts."

"You've said it. Harry. And it'll be a job of sorts."

"Robbie!"

"You be quiet, Mam." He wagged his finger at her.

"Harry knows what I'm talkin' about. He's got no more chance in this town than snow in hell and he knows it. Now look." He was bending towards Harry.

"I've got all this planned out. I've got a job for you, an' it'll keep you going for years."

Harry was looking at him now as he asked, "What sort of a job?" There was no interest in his face; the only name you could put to his expression was blankness.

Robbie glanced at his mother and the glance said again, "Now you be quiet." Then looking back at Harry he said slowly, "Rebuilding this house."

"What!"

"You heard. Rebuilding this house. Now look at it this way, Harry.

I've got to pay a man to help me, I can't do this all by me self in any case, it's going to take years, and if I employed a bloke regularly, let's face it, it would be union wages. Now I'm IH/L KWAUt- t-V/

^IX^A VUfc* LAIJLAUAA WtlK^O, ClAA A l-dll Utt-L J }J LA *J L'AdA'l and lodgings and six quid a week to start. As I make a go of it in the shop, I'll put it up. I promise you that. "

Harry was shaking his head in small movements.

"It's very kind of you, Robbie, but..."

"It's not very kind of me," put in Robbie swiftly.

"As usual I'm thinkin' of number one. I'm asking you to do me a good turn, an" I look at it as this way. Take it on just for a few months until you feel your feet, until you get yourself sort of acclimatised again, an' then if you find you don't want to stick, well and good, there'll be no harm done. I'll be thankful for what you've done by then. "

"But Robbie, I know nothing whatever about building. I did a bit of carpentry ... in, in there, and that's all.

"That's all you need to know, man. It's carpentry that's needed here;

window frames, door frames, panelling, roof rafters, the lot. When it comes to the brick-laying and plastering we'll both learn as we go, but it's the wodwork that's important. "

Harry looked from Robbie to Janet, but Janet had her eyes lowered. Her hands were still now on her lap. It was as if she was saying, I'm having nothing to do with this.

"Janet."

She looked up as he spoke, "What do you think about all this? I've got the impression that it's all being done for my benefit and I don't want that, I don't want to be carried, not by anyone."

"Oh, it isn't like that," Janet put in quickly now, and her voice was earnest because in this she knew she was speaking the truth.

"You'll be helping Robbie, doing him a good turn, doing us both a good turn.

But one thing'--her voice dropped.

"If you want to go, you do that.

Harry. Don't let either of us stop you. "

Again he looked from one to the other, then said helplessly, "But where would I go at the present moment? I ... I feel lost, all at sea so to speak. The funny thing is'--he looked down at the table and, taking up his knife, he began to move it around the plate like a man doodling with a pencil" --I've been thinking for some time that the best thing to do would be to get as far away from the town as possible, yet I knew I wouldn't be able

thing just to see her and try to explain, if that's possible. She might understand now she's older, that is unless her mind's been completely turned against me. " He slanted his tired gaze towards Robbie. His eyes looked like those of a man who had gone a long time with little sleep, and Robbie looking into them, said quietly, " I don't think you'll find that. "

"No." Harry looked thoughtful now.

"Whatever brainwashing was done.

Gran would counteract it. That's the only thing that's given me comfort all this time. "

Gran. Robbie looked swiftly at Janet, and she made a small motion with her head and he thought. Aye, best leave that for a time; he's got enough to get on with at present.

But everything else was going according to plan. He felt he could congratulate himself. He had done Harry a good turn and he had no doubts about that, but at the same time he had done himself one outsize good turn, for give Harry a year or two on the house and with what he could do himself and perhaps a bit of help on a Sunday from Sid, and the place would be ready enough for him to put his big idea into practice. Boy! Yes, that would be something, his big idea.

He had forgotten for a moment why his mother wanted Harry to stay.

It was twenty-past three on Sunday afternoon and Robbie said they would be back around half-past. Harry was standing in front of the house near a ladder that was leaning against the rough scaffolding. He was on edge, apprehensive. He thought that if it was Esther who had been coming, he wouldn't have felt worked up like this, for now he had no feelings for or against Esther; where she was concerned there was a neutrality in his life. There was only one thing he blamed Esther for, and that was-keeping Gail away from him during those weeks before the trial.