In the last dying of the day, he opened his eyes. His lover was kneeling beside him. Half-asleep, he fondled Maurice’s arm between his hands before he spoke. “So you got the wire,” he said. “What wire?” “The wire I sent off this morning to your house, telling you…” He yawned. “Excuse me, I’m a bit tired, one thing and another … telling you to come here without fail.” And since Maurice did not speak, indeed could not, he added, “And now we shan’t be parted no more, and that’s finished.”
