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"But there's nothing left of it It's, a ruin in the middle of the cane fields"

"I live in the cellars I've lived there since I was five It was burned down then andabout them so you needn't say you're sorry At first I lived there with my black nanny She died when I was fifteen For the last five years I've lived there alone"

"Good heavens" Bond was appalled "But wasn't there anyone, else to look after you? Didn't your parents leave any money?"

"Not a penny" There was no bitterness in the girl's voice-pride if anything "You see the Riders were one of the old Jaiven the Beau Desert lands by Cro Charles's death warrant He built the Great House and ar collapsed and I suppose the place was badly run, and by the ti but debts •-s like that So when my father and mother died the property was sold up I didn'tNanny must have been wonderful They wanted people to adopt al people did, but Nanny collected the sticks of furniture that hadn't been burned and we settled down in the ruins and after a bit no one ca and laundry in the village and grew a few plantains and bananas and things and there was a big breadfruit tree up against the old house We ate what the Jaar cane all round us and she o and take up every day It was all right We had enough to eat Soht me to read and write There was a pile of old books left from the fire There was an encyclopedia I started with A when I was about eight I've got as far as the middle of T" She said defensively "I bet I know s"

"I bet you do" Bond was lost in the picture of the little flaxen-haired girl pattering about the ruins with the obstinate old Negress watching over her and calling her in to do the lessons that must have been just as much a riddle to the old woman "Your nanny must have been a wonderful person"

"She was a darling" It was a flat stateht I'd die when she did It wasn't such fun after that: Before, I'd led a child's life; then I suddenly had to grow up and do everything for myself And men tried to catch me and hurt me They said they wanted to make love to me" She paused "I used to be pretty then"

Bond said seriously, "You're one of the irls I've ever seen"

"With this nose? Don't be silly"

"You don't understand" Bond tried to find words that she would believe "Of course anyone can see your nose is broken But since thisI've hardly noticed it When you look at a person you look into their eyes or at their mouth That's where the expressions are A broken nose isn't any nificant than a crooked ear Noses and ears are bits of face-furniture Some are prettier than others, but they're not nearly as iround of the face If you had a beautiful nose as well as the rest of you you'd be the irl in Jaent "Do you think I could be beautiful? I know solass I hardly see anything except my broken nose I'm sure it's like that with other people who are, who are-well-sort of deformed"

Bond said impatiently, "You're not deformed! Don't talk such nonsense And anyway you can have it put right by a siet over to America and it would be done in a week"

She said angrily, "How do you expect ot about fifteen pounds under a stone in ot three skirts and three shirts and a knife and a fishpot I know all about these operations The doctor at Port Maria found out for me He's a nice man He wrote to America Do you know, to have it properly done it would cost me about five hundred pounds, ith the fare to New York and the hospital and everything?" Her voice became hopeless "How do you expect me to find that amount of money?"

Bond had already made up his mind ould have to be done about that Now he merely said tenderly, "Well, I expect there are ways But anyway, go on with your story It's very exciting-far ot to where your Nanny died What happened then?"