"David gave it to the school matron " Jenny's surname had gone out of her mind "The matron gave it to Mr Fleming "

The coroner knew that the school matron wasn't on the list of witnesses He could see her at the back of the courtroom sitting with Mrs Brannigan Alison Brannigan looked as grimly composed as if she were listening to a case at the Old Bailey He hadn't met her socially for several months, but she looked years older than she had then The girl at her side didn't look too well either Anything she might have to say about handing over the sketch probably wouldn't affect the verdict either way It was best to let matters lie Now that the medical evidence was over, Brannigan himself was the next witness He spoke the oath quite firmly The fact that he was amongst friends was calming He was careful not to look at Fleming and he was careful, too, not to look at his wife He reminded himself that he mustn't answer the coroner with too much familiarity – he was Bob Breddon on the golf course and at the Rotary Club, but he wasn't Bob Breddon here The jurors were, as Lessing had said, very well known to him, too After a first quick glance at them he hastily looked away There was a strong bias in his favour and Fleming would be blind not to see it The coroner's first question was a gentle leading in "As a headmaster of many years experience, Mr Brannigan, you know the minds of young children rather better than most Would you say that David Fleming had settled happily into the Grange?"

"I would say so – yes "

"What is your opinion of the sketch he drew?"

Brannigan hesitated His honest answer would be to say that it worried him in the extreme But what good would it do? Breddon would ride him with a very easy hand on the reins and the hurdles would be as small as he could make them If he gave the wrong answer now then this hurdle would be one of many that could bring the school down. One could pay too high a price for a clear conscience He had a mental image of Alison and one or two of the older members of staff crawling out from under The child was dead – why hurt them unnecessarily "I was perturbed by it. It could mean a lot or it could mean nothing I didn't dismiss it out of hand, but equally I think it would be foolish to read too much into it In the teaching profession we're fed a somewhat indigestible diet of psychology We tend Jo see the Child Mind m capital letters We even think we understand it Children are very diverse creatures – but for the most part they behave quite logically I believe that if the sketch had been a cry for help it would have been followed by a more practical and understandable spoken plea for help The boy would have gone to one of the •staff and stated his case "

"And would have been listened to sympathetically?"

"Of course "

"Did you – or any member of your staff-notice any change of mood in the boy recently?"

"No "

"Why do you suppose he had bandaged his eyes before the fall?" He had been about to say accident but checked himself in time "I don't know "

"Was he an imaginative child?"

"Yes He had a flair for visualising scenes He came up with some good ideas tor the school play He could have been acting out a fantasy at the time of the fall ' He caught Lessing's eye Lessing looked pleased The coroner showed no emotion whatsoever but his support was like a strong shorewards current in a treacherous sea Fleming thought, "That's right – heel your conscience into the mud, God damn you A grudging respect that had been growing slowly for Brannigan during the past days was dissipated and became contempt He wished Thirza would stand up and say something and tried to will her into action but she resolutely kept her face away from him The coroner went on quietly "It's an explanation that seems to me quite feasible – but we're still in the realms of conjecture I think we should proceed to examine the facts of the case as we know them As headmaster you sanctioned the visit of the boys to the Maritime Museum?"

"Yes – the responsibility is mine The boys were working on a shipping project Last year the school produced work on marine biology It's my policy to use the environment of the school as fully as possible "

"Did you inspect the Maritime Museum before arranging the boys' visit?"

"Yes It seemed to me no more hazardous than our visits to the beaches and caves of last year There is always some danger"

"Quite It's the degree of reasonable care that counts in a case of this kind How many boys were put in the care of one teacher?"

"Eight The boys ranged in age from eight to sixteen Their master, Mr Hammond, is a highly responsible man I had no qualms whatsoever "

The coroner leaned back in his chair satisfied "Mr. Hammond will be our next witness Before he is called have you anything to ask this witness?" The question was to both Lessing and Thirza Lessing said no Brannigan, so far, was doing extremely well His father-in-law would have been proud of him Thirza said, "Yes When you inspected the Mariana, Mr Brannigan, did you notice that one of the hatches was uncovered?"

Brannigan's confidence slipped a little He hadn't noticed His inspection had been cursory "It didn't seem dangerous to me at the time "

"So you did notice it – and took no steps to have it covered "

Brannigan was silent "You'll agree, Mi Brannigan that it was dangerous Had it been covered David Fleming would be alive now "

Lessing without any formal request to speak rushed in with, "Not necessarily The accident could have occurred anywhere – off the harbour edge, off a gangplank It could equally have occurred crossing the road You can't wall boys up behind plate glass All living is dangerous The school has always taken every possible care of the boys Its degree of contractual care has always been of the highest "

The coroner stopped him "We're trying to determine why the child died in that particular way He spoke to Thirza "We know through hindsight that the uncovered hatch was dangerous Do you want Mr Brannigan to answer you, or was your question rhetorical?"

Thirza said crisply, "I'm sorry if I was pointing out the obvious There was danger A child died "

"Have you any other question for this witness?"

"No, sir "

Brannigan stepped down and Hammond took the stand Brannigan under pressure had become a headmaster with an anaesthetised conscience Now that the pressure was relaxed he felt the blood rushing in He couldn't assess the degree of his own responsibility Now, at this moment, it seemed total The words a child died thrummed through his mind like an unsteady pulse beat Hammond under pressure was a great deal less than calm His hands on the witness box were clenched fists of controlled aggression The coroner handled him carefully "The main function of an enquiry of this kind isn't to apportion blame but to establish facts Tell us in your own words what happened from the time you boarded the Mariana until you became aware of the child's fall "

The hot afternoon sun shining through the green curtains highlighted the sheen of sweat on Hammond's forehead He looked around(the courtroom and saw Fleming He spoke his evidence, looking at him "I boarded the ship with eight boys The three young ones stayed with me all the time, they were never out of my sight The five older ones – including David Fleming – were given jobs to do in different parts of the freighter. It was understood that they would stay at their posts and get on with the job The ship wasn't a playground My discipline isn't lax David Fleming was to have stayed on the poop deck and sketched the rudder machinery It seemed to me reasonable that he should stay there without my mounting a guard over him My eight-year-olds might conceivably have fooled around the hatch and fallen in I credited a twelve-year-old with more sense "

Ml

Fleming half rose in anger and then sat again as the coroner quickly interposed "Just stay with the facts, Mr Hammond and I'd be obliged if you'd look at me as you speak "