I &apos;m very grateful to you . you need n&apos;t be . I told you , I &apos;m glad to do it . I was touched and flattered by his manner , which was most attractive in its friendliness . as I said , I do not make friends easily ; my defences go up at the first sign of intimacy and when people realise this , they withdraw . this young man was ignoring the defences and I liked him for it . it did not occur to me until a long time afterwards that he was , perhaps , a shade too friendly . now all I had to do was to tell Max and that , I knew , was going to be difficult . he called for me soon after I got back to the flat and I made him wait until I had a quick bath and changed into a white linen dress . there must have been something about my appearance that he found disturbing because he looked at me as though seeing me for the first time . that was worth waiting for , he said . you must be the freshest thing in London . the water was cold , I told him . it nearly always is . his fingers lightly brushed something - powder perhaps - from my cheek . cold water suits you . do n&apos;t complain . I was n&apos;t going to , I said . I shall n&apos;t be here much longer . I know . you &apos;re coming to Greece with me . I moved away . no , Max . at least not yet . there &apos;s something I &apos;ve got to do first . of course , the trousseau . he was refusing to take me seriously . tell me about it while we eat . he chose a Greek restaurant in Soho , to get me used to the food , he said . it was a quiet place and I was glad ; I needed to be able to talk . as soon as the meal was ordered I said : I went back to Bletcham today . to Bletcham ? the word was heavily underlined with surprise . I thought we &apos;d finished with all that . I was afraid you &apos;d think so , but I &apos;ve only just started . I &apos;m going to buy a boat and moor it near Hardy &apos;s house , I rushed on . I &apos;m going to find out everything I can about him . why ? the question took me by surprise . because , I said impatiently , he may be the man who murdered Alice . and what if he is ? he &apos;ll be tried - if you can prove anything - and you &apos;ll be a witness . you surely do n&apos;t want to drag the whole thing up again . if he &apos;s guilty I &apos;ll go through anything to get him convicted . why ? he asked again . I can tell by your voice that it means a lot to you , but I &apos;m damned if I can see the reason . it &apos;s not as if you were all that fond of Alice . he was interrupted by the arrival of the food and wine . when the pouring ritual was over he went on : I &apos;m as keen as the next man on justice being done and all the rest of it , but I &apos;d rather see you happy . there will n&apos;t be any happiness for me until I can prove him guilty . you &apos;re already certain that he did it , are n&apos;t you ? not quite . well - yes , perhaps I am , I admitted . I have to be . if he did n&apos;t do it it must have been - must have been who ? Max prompted . I looked into his eyes and longed with all my heart to tell him , but I could not do it . as long as my suspicion remained in my head I could pretend to myself , in moments of optimism , that it was not true . if I told Max he might agree with me and then I could no longer pretend . it could have been anyone , I said lamely . so you &apos;re going to live in this boat , though you know nothing about boats , and try to prove Hardy &apos;s guilt so we can be quite sure that anyone - there was a glint of humour in his eyes as he said the word - that anyone was innocent . if you &apos;re right , you may be in serious danger from Hardy . even if you &apos;re wrong you &apos;ll most certainly be in danger when you start handling a boat . he picked up his glass and held it in both hands , looking at me thoughtfully over the top of it . no , he said at last . I can n&apos;t allow it . you can n&apos;t very well stop me . I can do better than that . if we were to get married now I could come with you . I looked down at my plate , not daring to let him see how much the idea appealed to me , reminding myself that he could only have said such a thing because he did not know the whole truth . and I can n&apos;t allow that , I said . deadlock , said Max . no , it is n&apos;t . I &apos;m determined to go , and by myself , whatever you say . I was afraid of that . he sounded resigned but none the less hopeful . you &apos;re a very wilful woman but I &apos;ll change your mind for you one of these days . the thing is : when ? I can n&apos;t wait for ever , you know . I know . just give me a little time , Max , say three months . if I have n&apos;t discovered anything by then I &apos;ll give up trying . and marry me ? and marry you . chapter six . the man from the newspaper office rang up two days later . he gave his name as Clive Mortimer and pronounced favourably on the boat , which was moored two miles up the river from Bletcham . you can see it any time you like , he told me . the sooner the better . if you can get to Bletcham this evening I &apos;ll run you up there in the car . that &apos;s very nice of you . nice , nothing . I told you , I &apos;m mad about boats . seven thirty do you ? I could meet you at the bus station . no , I said , outside your office . I could not endure the thought of another wait at the bus station . he was there punctually . dressed in a loud tartan shirt and abbreviated shorts he looked hardly more than a boy , a cheerful , good-natured boy . he settled me into the car with touching care and then drove like a fiend along the river road . ten minutes later he stopped in a lane and helped me out with the same careful courtesy . what sort of boat is it ? I asked . she , he corrected . she &apos;s a converted life-boat . not a very good one , but she &apos;s sound enough and the engine &apos;s fine . we walked down to the river &apos;s edge . there were a lot of boats moored there and he pointed to the one I was already beginning to think of as mine . that &apos;s her , he said . Sandpiper . she was not an eye-catching craft . years ago in her white-painted infancy she must have hung presentably on the deck of some luxury liner but now she looked like a gaudy ark , with a top-heavy cabin streaked with layers of red and green and black paint . inside , she was untidy and grubby but roomy enough and well lit by two rows of good-sized windows . it was a long time before I got used to calling them portholes . the owner was a middle-aged man whose family had tired of the limited excitement of the river and now had their eyes on a seagoing boat . Clive - he insisted on being called Clive - haggled with him and within half an hour Sandpiper was mine for three hundred and fifty pounds . when all the business details had been settled and the owner had departed with my cheque in his pocket , Clive started the engine and gave me my first lesson in manoeuvring up and down the river and in and out of the other boats . it was a warm , still evening ; the plop of fish and the gentle putter of the engine were infinitely soothing after city noises , and I began to look forward to my life on the water . at last he pronounced me riverworthy and wanted to know when I would be moving in . at the end of next week , I told him . I shall have to give a week &apos;s notice at the flat . I suppose you &apos;ll be mooring her nearer the sea . not much . there &apos;s a place just below Bletcham , near the footbridge . I know it . he looked doubtful . there are better places , he commented . I know , but that &apos;s where I &apos;m going . he stroked Sandpiper &apos;s wheel lovingly . take her down there for you if you like . he looked so like a small boy longing to play with someone else &apos;s toy that I laughed . no , thank you , Clive . I shall be able to manage . there was a pub in the lane where the car was parked ; to soften the blow and also to thank him for his trouble I gave him a drink . afterwards he drove me back to Bletcham and we parted like old friends . he suggested another meeting , but I refused ; the boat was such an attraction that I was afraid , if he came near it again , that I should never see the last of him . the following Friday I moved out of my flat , and Max , who was still - justifiably - doubtful of my ability to manage a boat , came to help . we piled all my things into his car and drove down to that part of the river where the boat was moored . the moment he saw Sandpiper I knew by the look on his face that he had not much faith in her . that fellow Mortimer , he said , wants his head seeing to . this must be the original ark . I thought so too , at first , but it &apos;s quite nice inside . come and have a look . we climbed aboard and he eased his wiry frame through the cabin door and wandered about inside , opening everything that would open . I guessed he was looking for leaks and waited anxiously for him to say he had found one , but his only comment was : plenty of room in here for two , a remark it seemed safer to ignore . like Clive , he was enthusiastic about the engine and decided , apparently on the strength of its efficiency , that Sandpiper was fit to live in . I was more than thankful for his help when we had installed my things and the boat began to move . the river was crowded with flocks of sailing boats which swirled round us like gulls and there were two locks to negotiate , but Max seemed to know exactly what to do and at the same time kept me supplied with important bits of information that Clive had forgotten to mention , such as keeping to starboard and giving way to sail . how on earth do you know all this ? I asked him . I used to play about in these things when I was a kid . and then I acted as guide on a river boat one summer , to keep myself going between terms at college . it was the first I had heard of it , but that &apos;s one of the things I like about Max . he has done so many things that there is always something new and exciting to discover about him . you &apos;re wonderful , I said , meaning it . he pressed the tip of my nose with one finger . that makes two of us . it was about eight o&apos;clock in the evening when we tied up almost exactly opposite Hardy &apos;s garden and went up on to the roof of the cabin to see what we could see . from this side , Rivermead was less forbidding ; it stood a long way back from the water at the end of a velvety lawn flanked with flowering trees and shrubs . to the right of the lawn , close to the water &apos;s edge , stood an ancient boathouse shrouded in wistaria ; it was built across a narrow backwater and there was a delicate iron staircase climbing the outer wall to a room above . you will n&apos;t see anyone tonight , it &apos;s too late , Max said and turned to go . no - wait , I put out a hand to stop him . the sun was no longer shining and it was dark across there by the trees , but I thought I had seen something move . 