On the beach, masts and chimneys interlaced, and like a fuliginous shadow the figure of Albertine gliding through the surf, fusing into the mysterious quick and prism of a protoplasmic realm, uniting her shadow to the dream and harbinger of death.

Two, three, four, five, south! Six, seven, eight, nine, north! Strange as it may sound, this is the way the people on the Chinese mainland complain about the lack of clothes, food and other necessities. Absent from the phrases are one and ten—i and shih in Chinese Mandarin. The words for clothes and food sound alike. Also missing are east and west. Their Chinese equivalents when put together as tung-hsi, stand for things, objects or matters.

Alonzo knew instantly how to armature his horse figures, by using some self-fashioned wires, to capture the real-life motion of his stallions. Armaturing is a skill that takes some artists years to master.

This done, he got my travelling dressing-case out of the Gladstone bag, and opened it ready for my use.