Show here, she said. I put a mark in it. There’s a word I wanted to ask you.

She swallowed a draught of tea from her cup held by nothandle and, having wiped her fingertips smartly on the blanket, began to search the text with the hairpin till she reached the word.

Met him what? he asked.

Here, she said.

What does that mean?

He leaned downward and read near her polished thumbnail.

Metempsychosis?

Yes. Who’s he when he’s at home?

Metempsychosis, he said, frowning. It’s Greek: from the Greek. That means the transmigration of souls.