I looked at him, and looked at the bottle. It had been untouched that morning, now it was three-quarters empty.

'But what happened?' I insisted.

He put down his glass, shook his head, and explained:

'Pure accident, old man. They were all four of them playing around on that rickety landing stage. The tide was a bit past the turn, * and running out fast. That hulking motor-boat of Bill Weston's was moored about fifty yards up-stream. According to old Evans who saw the whole thing its mooring line must have broken. The boat hit the landing-stage at full speed, and the far end of the damned thing collapsed. My two happened to be standing back a bit, so they were only knocked down, but your two went straight into the water ...'

He paused, exasperatingly. But for the repeated assurances * that they were quite all right I could have shaken him. He took another swig at his glass.

'Well, you know how fast water runs at the ebb-time. They were yards away in a few seconds. At first Evans thought they were done for, then he saw Matthew strike out towards Polly. He didn't seeany more because he started running off to the Yacht Club to give the alarm.

'It was Colonel Summers who went after them, but even with that fast motor-boat of his they were well over a mile downstream before he could find them. Matthew was still supporting Polly.

'The Colonel was tremendously impressed. He says that if he ever saw anything that deserved a medal, that did; and he's going to make sure Matthew gets one. *

'We were in here when it happened. My two never thought to tell us until they had seen the Colonel's boat chase off after them. Not that we could have done anything. But lord-oh-lord, waiting for him to come back ... I hope I never have to spend an hour like that again...

'Anyway, it came out all right, thank God — and thanks to young Matthew. There's no doubt at all your Polly'd have been done for, but for him. Damn good show, and if the Colonel needs any backing for that medal idea, he'll certainly get mine. Matthew deserves it.'

Alan finished off his drink at a gulp, and reached for the bottle again.

I finished mine, too. I felt I needed it.

Everybody ought to be able to swim. It had worried me at times for the last year or two that Matthew could never succeed in swimming more than three consecutive strokes...

I was shushed away from the room Polly was sharing with young Emma.

'She's fast asleep,' Mary told me. 'She's got a nasty bruise on her right shoulder. We think she must have hit the boat as she fell. Otherwise she seems only tired out. Oh, David ...'

'It's all right, darling. It's over now.'

'Yes, thank God. Phyl told me all about it. But, David, how did Matthew do it ...?'

I looked in on Matthew. The light was still on. He waslying on his back staring at the lamp. I had time to catchhis worried look before he turned his head and saw me.

'Hullo, Daddy,' he said.

Momentarily he looked pleased, and relieved, but the anxious expression soon came back.

'Hullo, Matthew. How are you feeling?' I asked.

'All right,' he told me. 'We got jolly cold, but Auntie Phyl made us have a hot bath.'

I nodded. He certainly looked all right now.

'I've been hearing great things about you, Matthew,' I told him.

He looked more worried now. His eyes dropped, and his fingers began twisting at the sheet.

'It's not true, Daddy,' he said, with great earnestness.

'It did rather make me wonder,' I admitted. 'A few days ago you couldn't swim.'

'I know, Daddy, but ...' Again he twisted at the sheet. "... but Chocky can ...' he finished, looking up at me uncertainly.

I tried to show nothing but sympathetic interest.

'Tell me about it,' I suggested.

Matthew looked a little relieved.

'Well, it all happened terribly quickly. I saw the boat just going to hit, and then I was in the water. I tried to swim, but I was awfully frightened because I knew it would be no good, and I thought I was going to be drowned. Then Chocky told me not to be a fool, and not to panic. She was sort of fierce. She sounded rather like Mr Caffer when he gets angry in class, only more. I've never known her get like that before, and I was so surprised that I stopped panicking. Then she said: "Now think of nothing, like you do with painting." So I tried. And then I was swimming ...' He frowned. 'I don't know how, but somehow she showed my arms and legs the way to swim, just like she makes my hands go the right way to draw. So, you see, it was really her, not me, that did it, Daddy.'

'I see,' I said. It was a memorable overstatement. *Matthew went on.

'You and lots of other people, have shown me how to swim, Daddy, and I tried, but it kept on not happening until Chocky did it.'

'I see,' I lied again. I reflected for some moments while Matthew watched my face attentively.

'I see,' I said once more, and nodded. 'So, of course once you found you could swim, you struck out for the shore?'

Matthew's attentive look turned to an incredulous stare.

'But I couldn't do that. There was Polly. She'd fallen in, too.'