"Martin... " she interrupted.
But he wasn't going to talk. He took her hands and drew her across the room towards him. When she was right beside him he put his arms around her very tight.
"I love you, Helen." he said over and over into her hair.
And she murmured "I know. I know, Martin, I know."
Neither of them saw Kit in the shadow pass the doow, wait for a moment and then go on to her own room. She lay in bed without sleeping for a long time that night. She couldn't decide whether what she had seen was very good or very bad.
At least it didn't look as if her mother was wild and fancy free, or whatever Clio was constantly hinting at.
Hallowe'en was a Friday. Kit wondered would they have a party. Mother seemed against it. "We don't know what we'll be doing." she said in a fussed sort of way.
"But of course we know what we'll be doing." Kit was stung by the unfairness of this.
"It's a Friday. We'll be having scrambled eggs and potatoes like every Friday, and I only asked for a few friends to come on.. "
Mother looked quite different when she spoke. She seemed to underline every word as if she were giving a message or reading a notice, rather than having a normal conversation.
"Believe me, I do know what I'm saying. We do not know what we will be doing on Hallowe'en parties. There will be parties again, but not now."
It was very final. It was also very frightening.
"Are there really ghosts on Hallowe'en?" Clio asked Sister Madeleine.
"You know there aren't ghosts." Sister Madeleine said.
"Well, spirits."
"There are spirits around us all the time." Sister Madeleine was being remarkably cheerful about it, as if she wouldn't indulge in Clio Kelly's wish to be dramatic.