‘Do you find the country is doing you good?’ Letty asked. ‘I’ve had diarrhoea all this week,’ came the disconcerting reply. There was a momentary – perhaps no more than a split second’s – pause, but if the women had been temporarily taken aback, they were by no means at a loss. ‘Diarrhoea,’ Letty repeated, in a clear, thoughtful tone. She was never certain how to spell the word, but felt that such a trivial admission was lacking in proper seriousness so she said no more.
