'Have you ever had hearing tests, Ben?' Inez asked.

Ben knew that his hearing was sharper than anybody's, but all he said was, 'Yes.'

He put up with the instruments poking into his ears, and the light being shone in.

And now urine: Inez was expecting him to pee in front of them all — like an animal, Teresa thought — but Ben took the flask and looked about him for cover. 'A screen,' ordered Inez, and to Teresa her voice sounded sharp and scornful. Behind a screen Ben peed, and brought back the flask.

They cut off a bit of his hair, and parings from his nails, and shavings of skin.

All this Ben put up with, silent, stolid — grinning.

Now they wanted to put clamps on his head to measure brain activity, but when Ben saw the apparatus he backed to the door, wanting to escape, and Teresa's encouraging cries (prompted by Inez) that she would do it too, did not persuade Ben.

Inez said, 'Very well, we'll do the x-rays.'

Teresa permitted herself to be x-rayed — for the first time in her life. It was a long process. Legs, arms, feet, pelvis, spine, shoulders, neck. They did not suggest doing the head, so as not to frighten Ben. He stood by, watching, and as the photographs were processed and held out to Teresa and to him, he seemed interested, looking at Teresa's bones.

'Have you ever been x-rayed?' asked Inez.

'Yes,' said Ben. 'I broke my leg once.'

Inez's impatient sigh suggested that he might have told them that before, but all she said was, 'Then you won't mind doing it for us, will you?'

He went through it patiently, Teresa beside him, and Inez on guard.

And now it was getting on in the afternoon. Ben said, 'I'm hungry.'

They did not want to cause comment by taking him to the canteen. Sandwiches were brought. Teresa was hungry. Ben could never easily eat bread, but he took out the meat fillings and ate them. Teresa asked for fruit, and when it came he eagerly ate it.

Now Inez said he must have the wires attached to his head for brain tests.

'No,' he said. Then he shouted, 'No, no, no, no!' They had planned to test the workings of his digestive system, his circulation, his breathing: there were a great many more to do, but the tests on his brain were considered the most important, and Ben shouted, 'No!' and began stamping about.

Inez went out to the telephone, her slim compact little body in its white overalls showing a determination that Teresa understood.

'I want to go home,' said Ben, meaning the place in Rio.

Inez came back, smiling brightly and falsely, not looking at Teresa, who knew that deceptions were being planned, and said that Alfredo would take them both back.

The swooping looping drive back down through the hills made Ben sick, and they had to stop twice. At last they were driving along the sea front, and then were in the flat. Alfredo came in long enough to say that they wanted Ben to go back tomorrow for more tests. He knew that Ben was going to say no, and he did.

Alfredo and Teresa stood close together, looking at each other. Their eyes spoke clearly, saying they were going to defend Ben, and that they were angry about what was happening; saying, too, that they liked each other, very much. If Ben had not been there, humped over the table, banging his fists down again and again, probably the two would have been in each other's arms, or at least something would have been said. This strong understanding they had, as if they had known each other always, ended in their marrying, some months in the future. So their story at least has a happy ending: things turned out well for them.

Alfredo went off, and Teresa and Ben sat at the table, and Teresa cooked for him, steak, and more steak, because he was hungry.

She was so anxious she did not sleep much, because she knew bad things were being planned. She could hear Ben moving about his room, but at least he was not banging his head on the wall.

Next morning there was a telephone call: Luiz Machado was coming to discuss Ben. Teresa told Ben this and now she did hear the thudding on the wall. She sat at the table, quite still, for some time, and her breathing was shallow and scared: then she began smoothing her long black hair as if it were life itself she was trying to bring into order, and so she waited, telling herself that now she must be strong, and stand up for Ben — and for herself. It felt to her that even the thought of these powerful people made her want to faint, or to run away; she was being expected to confront what she had held in awe all her life: the educated, clever all-knowing world of modern knowledge. Who expected her to? She, herself. Alfredo. And poor Ben.

Luiz Machado was not alone, for with him came one Stephen, another American, Professor Stephen something or other — she couldn't get the name: Gumlack, or Goonlach — and this one was a tall thin bony man, with a face all big bones, and a big mouth pushed forward by his teeth. His eyes sat inside hollows of bone, prominent eyeballs that seemed to jump out at her when he blinked. He came from some famous institute in the States: she knew it was famous because when he presented the name to her he expected her to recognise it and knew too that because she did not respond she was being classed as an ignoramus.

Ben came into the room, and she understood the two men expected her to dismiss him so they could discuss him and then give her orders. She said to Ben loudly, because she was afraid her voice would shake, 'This is Luiz Machado — you met him, Ben, and this is Professor Stephen . Gumlack .'

'Gaumlach,' he said promptly, showing he was irritated.

'Professor Gaumlach,' she repeated carefully. 'He comes from America, like Alex.' To them she said, 'Alex brought Ben here to make a film with him.' To Ben she said, 'Sit down, Ben. It's all right.'

The two men were put out, she could see. She was triumphant: she wasn't going to dismiss Ben, as she had been in her time, like a servant.

A brief silence, then Professor Stephen Gaumlach leaned forward, and said, 'This is very important, very important indeed.' His lips mouthed the words, moulding each one as it came out, rolling them towards her like cold marbles. His eyes were cold, fanatic, obsessed. Seldom had she disliked anyone as she disliked this man. 'You must see that, Teresa — '

'My name is Teresa Alves,' she cut in.

This took him aback. He sat blinking. Recovered himself, went on: 'Miss Alves, this is probably the most important discovery of my entire life. You've simply got to understand this. This is a unique opportunity. This . Ben, is unique.'

'Ben Lovatt. His name is Ben Lovatt.'

This really did silence him. The big protruding mouth poked forward at her, in annoyance, and he looked for help to Luiz Machado who was listening, detached, calm, urbane.

Ben listened, grinning, glancing about as if in the corners of the room might open an escape route — into woods perhaps where only he knew the turnings, the ways out into safety. He was thinking, But there are people like me, Alfredo told me there are; he would have said this aloud, if he were not so frightened.

Teresa said calmly, 'If Ben agrees, that is all right. If he doesn't, then you must not force him.'

Professor Stephen's orator's mouth opened to object, as he forcefully leaned forward, raising his hand, but Luiz smiled agreeably and said it was not a question of force. This in Portuguese, for her; but in English, for his colleague's benefit, he said, 'He must be made to understand the situation.' Back to Teresa, in Portuguese, 'You do not understand how very important this is. This is Professor Gaumlach's area of research. He is a world authority. This is important for the whole world.'

'You keep saying so,' she said, in Portuguese. Then, aloud, in English, 'But I am in charge of Ben. Alex Beyle left Ben Lovatt in my charge.'