Chapter One
KENNETH FORTNIGHT felt that he was dedicating himself,
not to his mother's death, but to the Kid's. It was his mission, every-
thing that had, by right or stealth, come down to him. Yet he loved
the Kid, just as he loved in a queer way the whole arrangement that
had thrown them together in that house, where he was always
escaping, always returning, always lingering or moving on.
The mission began with the Kid's illness: he was seven at the
time, and Kenneth fourteen. The Kid did not consult his brother,
but took on complete responsibility for his derangements. He went
alone to the headmaster of St Stephen's School to complain of the
throbbing in Kenneth's head. He took it upon himself to upset the
house-warming party by appearing in pyjamas and firing the
Colonel's Colt 45 at the claret jugs. No one responded; he adopted
more radical methods. Lord Gilroy came to dinner: the Kid asked
him whether his ancestors were distinguished by anything other
than treason to the King and . . .
