Brask accepted the proffered datacard. He would review its contents of course and make, for the sake of appearances, enquiries on some points but he was resigned to the necessity of paying – probably overpaying – for what he wanted.

“I would be glad to; I have missed the place a great deal,” he sighed. He seemed to be lost momentarily among memories then rallied himself to say with deferential tone, “But I do not want to take too much of your valuable time or disrupt your plans for the day. If you prefer, I can wait for a colleague of yours to show me. Or we can agree upon a time to meet that suits you.”