The adulteress

He was thoughtful. "For some time I felt I wanted to do something for those people. I wanted to take them out of Whitefriars. I had the usual dreams and ideals which beset the young until they realize that all they can do is what they're qualified for. I was meant to care for the sick. It was for the politicians and such like to change the living standards of the people."

"You have always been devoted to your work?"

He looked at me steadily. "It is like a crutch," he said. "It helps me through life. When I am weary and melancholy and I feel no great enthusiasm for living ... I work ... and that soothes me. I limp along on my crutch and get by."

There were so many questions I wanted to ask him. I was certain that there was some tragedy, some shadow hanging over him, something which had happened in the past and which he could not forget. But this was a day for forgetting, a day for enjoying.

I said: "How shall we get to Ranelagh? Shall we ride?"

"Good heavens no. We shall go in the traditional manner. We shall wait till dusk and then we shall take a wherry along the river. We shall alight at Ranelagh; we shall walk through the enchanted glades and at the Rotunda there is a treat in store. There is a young genius who has come to this country for a short tour. I was determined to hear him. He is but eight years old and a composer already."

"Is that possible? A boy?"

"Possible with this boy. Apparently he was astonishing people when he was but six years old. It will be interesting to hear if he is really as good as we have been led to believe. He has come to England from Salzburg with his father and sister, Marianne, I think. A musical family, it seems. He will play some of his own compositions on the harpsichord."

"I so look forward to hearing him."

"As well as Master Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart we may also hear the chorus from Acis and Galatea and "Oh, Happy Pair" from Alexander's Feast. I think that Tenducci is singing the solo."

"I can see it is going to be most entertaining. I wonder you live in the country when you could obviously find so much to enjoy here." I waved my arms as though to embrace the town.

He said quietly: "I had my reasons... ." And there was that in his voice which told me I should ask no further questions on that matter.

We sat for a long time in the Rainbow Inn and when we came out we left the horses there and walked down to the river. There we took a boat and were rowed along the river past Westminster and right out to Hampton.

The red-brick manor house, which had been transformed into the palace of Hampton Court, looked magnificent.

"A palace of great importance in the country's history," commented Charles. "I have heard it is an interesting place. The Tudors enjoyed it and King William and Mary were fond of it. The alterations they made have transformed it into a most magnificent palace."

"I should love to explore it," I said.

"It's full of ghosts and shadows, they say. Memories leaping out from every corner. I have heard that the ghost of Catherine Howard appears in the gallery along which she is reputed to have run seeking the king when she knew she was accused. Poor girl, remembering the sad fate of her cousin Anne Bo-leyn, she must have known what hers would be."

"There must be pleasant memories, too."

"It's strange how the unpleasant ones are those to be remembered. I heard that our present George won't go there because it is said his father once boxed his ears in the state apartments. As there were others present he felt so humiliated that whenever he sees the place he remembers the incident."

"Poor George. People seem to enjoy humiliating him."

"It must be something in his nature which provokes the teasing spirit."

"And being a king that must be doubly hard to bear."

"Don't let's waste sympathy on him. It's not going to help him in any case. I should like to go along the river to Windsor but if we are going to get to Ranelagh to hear our child genius there would not be the time."

Oh, what a happy day that was, sailing along the river, among hundreds of others who had had the same idea as we had. I thought the company added to my pleasure. It was good to see so many people laughing, calling to each other; there were some who had music on board, and the sound of it was very sweet to me.

We took the wherry just as it was beginning to get dark and we went along to Ranelagh.

The pleasure garden was like a fairyland. Thousands of golden lamps illuminated the scene and as we stepped ashore we heard the strains of music coming from a band hidden somewhere among the trees.

Charles took my arm as we started to walk through those laid-out paths paved with gravel and bounded on each side by hedges and trees.

Beautifully dressed women with male companions strolled by. Pleasure was in the air; one knew that everyone here was bent on enjoying the evening.