‘As it happens I was there. Didn’t you know that demonstrations at this particular moment are in fact spontaneous? The CP’s lost whatever grip it had on young people, and the Labour Party’s too respectable to organize this sort of thing. So what happens is, groups of young people go and express themselves about Africa or war and so on.’

‘I might have known you were there.’

‘No, you needn’t have known. Because it was an accident. I was coming home from the theatre, and I saw a crowd of students rushing along the street. I got off the bus and went along to have a look. I didn’t know Marion and Tommy were there until I saw it in the newspapers.’

‘So what do you intend to do about it?’

‘I don’t intend to do anything about it. You can deal with the red menace yourself.’

And Anna put down the receiver, knowing that this was not the end, and that in fact she would do something about it, because some kind of logic was working that would force her to.

Molly telephoned, in a state of collapse, soon after: ‘Anna, you’ve got to see Tommy and try and make him see sense.’

‘Have you tried?’

‘That’s what’s so odd. I can’t even try. I keep telling myself - I can’t go on living like a guest in my own house with Marion and Tommy taking it over. Why should I? But then something odd happens, I work myself up to go and face them - but you can’t face Marion, she isn’t there. And I find myself thinking: Well why not? What does it matter? Who cares? I find myself shrugging my shoulders. I come in from the theatre and I sneak upstairs in my own home so as not to disturb Marion and Tommy, feeling rather guilty to be there at all. Do you understand that?’

‘Yes, unfortunately I do.’

‘Yes. But what frightens me is this - if you actually describe the situation in words - you know, my husband’s second wife moving into my house because she can’t live without my son, etc. - it’s not merely odd, it’s - but of course, that’s got nothing to do with anything. Do you know what I was thinking yesterday, Anna? I was sitting upstairs, quiet as a mouse, so as not to disturb Marion and Tommy and thinking I’d simply pack a bag and wander off somewhere and leave them to it, and I thought that the generation after us are going to take one look at us, and get married at eighteen, forbid divorces, and go in for strict moral codes and all that, because the chaos otherwise is just too terrifying …’ Here Molly’s voice wavered, and she ended quickly: ‘Please see them, Anna, you’ve got to, because I simply can’t cope with anything.’