Sentence the Fourhundredandtwentythird 

And while Sir Pantagruel MacFarlane and Jasmine Juniper-Green sipped hot, strong coffee in Aunty Crist's study, by the window which gave them a fine view of The Eildons, and they could see the scattered line of trees which casual observers often took to be processions of walkers making their way slowly up or down the slope, Jasmine said: “Tavish thinks the Cavern might be a creation of GCHQ or the CIA, not that he's thought it all through, but it's the Food Supply Cairn which has him

thinking in that direction – the Americans and Professor Dane have spoken of it too, well they think it's been supplied by their Base in Vietnam, which is obviously impossible, but Tavish is wondering who would have the resources to keep it replenished, in different Parallel Universes, at the same time, for different occupants, and the only answer he seems to keep coming up with is a Security Service with the resources and ability to keep the whole project dark, hidden even from it's theoretical Masters; I was wondering, could there be something in it, sir?” and Pantagruel examined her over the rim of his spectacles; she had that quality of terraqueous grit which could both undermine and renovate any tendentiously officious edifice he might construct, like blowing to fragments a castle in the air, in a weak attempt to give a plausible, alternative, answer, to the thought which had struck dear old Tavish, which reminded him of his late wife, dear old Daisy, and he found himself suddenly missing Daisy – Daisy Dalmuir she had been when they'd first met at a Varsity Ball, and he could see her in Jasmine's profile, but of course Jasmine was herself the daughter of the daughter of Daisy's

much younger sister, Dandy, and he found himself becoming involved in a reverie, hearing the happy voices, seeing the smiling faces, dancing with the younger girls on the lower lawn in Summer sunshine, walking arms linked with Daisy through the dappled sunlight of the orchard, catching glimpses of the young ones darting in and out as they chased each other through the trees, then emerging at the far side of the upper lawn, to see the whole scene: tables and chairs set out, several parasols to shade the older ladies, servants gliding around with trays and jugs and bottles, and then he suddenly remembered, it was that August of 1937 when the German Ambassador, Herr Ribbentrop, had spent the weekend at Dalmuir House; and as they moved across the lawn, Pantagruel, a relatively

junior officer at the Foreign Office, under Daisy's father, Lord Dalmuir, the Foreign Secretary; he noticed that two flags had been hauled up the tall white poles at the far end of the gravelled turning circle below the fine Adam portico and those symbolic twelve wide steps which led up to the main doors: the Union Flag and the German Swastika flew side by side and he felt suddenly nauseous, his head swam, the sun and the trees and the flags seemed to spin around, he staggered and Daisy gripped his hand, he fell to the grass and saw the sky whirling like a wheel before he lost consciousness; which was when Jasmine, startled to hear the mantelpiece clock strike nine, turned her head and noticed him slumped in the chair, his spectacles having fallen to the floor and she jumped to

her feet, reached out but could feel no pulse in his neck and ran out, calling for help – and by sheer chance, it was Sir Clement Dane who happened to be coming towards her: “what's the matter, girl? you look like you've seen a ghost!” and Jasmine clutched at his sleeve: “oh, Sir Clement, it's Sir Pantagruel, he's collapsed, just in here and she pushed open the door – the room was in darkness and she ran to the window and threw back the curtains, then looked around; Professor Dane had followed her in and looked around with her, though there was really nothing to see, “who did you say was here, Jasmine? Sir Pantagruel? but I saw him in the garden not two minutes ago, he seemed to be walking towards the back fence, the one with that little gate which lets you out onto the path that winds up The Hills! I'll pop out and see if he's gone far, if not, I'll try to fetch him back,” and he left her standing in shock, which was when the Clock struck nine, for the second time in ten minutes!