top of old ones without confusion. It was an idea he had picked up in France.
Most of the rest of the hut was taken up by the bench on which Jack was working in wood, making the templates that would show the masons how to carve the stones. The light was fading: he would do no more woodwork today. He began to put his tools away.
Philip picked up a template. "What's this for?"
"The plinth at the base of a pier."
"You prepare things well in advance."
"I just can't wait to start building properly."
These days all their conversations were terse and factual.
Philip put down the template. "I must go in to compline." He turned away.
"And I shall go and visit my family," Jack said acidly.
Philip paused, turned as if he was going to speak, looked sad, and left.
Jack locked his toolbox. That had been a foolish remark. He had accepted the job on Philip's terms and it was pointless to complain about it now. But he felt constantly angry with Philip, and he could not always keep it in.
He left the priory close in twilight and went to the little house in the poor quarter where Aliena lived with her brother, Richard. She smiled happily when Jack walked in, but they did not kiss: they never touched one another nowadays, for fear they would become aroused, and then they would either have to part frustrated or give in to their lust and risk being caught breaking their promise to Prior Philip.
Tommy was playing on the floor. He was now a year and half old, and his current obsession was putting things into other things. He had four or five kitchen bowls in front of him, and he tirelessly put the smaller ones inside the larger and tried to put the larger inside the smaller. Jack was very struck by the idea that Tommy did not know instinctively that a large bowl would not fit inside a small one; that this was something human beings had to learn. Tommy was struggling with spatial relationships just as Jack did when he tried to visualize something like the shape of a stone in a curved vault.
Tommy fascinated Jack and made him feel anxious too. Until now Jack had never worried about his ability to find work, hold down a job, and support himself. He had set out to cross France without giving a moment's thought to the possibility that he might become destitute and starve. But now he wanted security. The need to take care of Tommy was much more compelling than the need to take care of himself. For the first time in his life he had responsibilities.
Aliena put a jug of wine and a spiced cake on the table and sat down opposite Jack. He poured a cup of wine and sipped it gratefully. Aliena put some cake in front of Tommy, but he was not hungry, and he scattered it in the rushes on the floor.
Aliena said: "Jack, I need more money."
Jack was surprised. "I give you twelve pennies a week. I only make twenty-four."
"I'm sorry," she said. "You live alone-you don't need as much."
Jack thought this was rather unreasonable. "But a laborer only gets sixpence a week-and some of them have five or six children!"
Aliena looked cross. "Jack, I don't know how laborers' wives keep house-I never learned. And I don't spend anything on myself. But you have dinner here every day. And there's Richard-"
"Well, what about Richard?" Jack said angrily. "Why doesn't he support himself?"
"He never has done."
Jack felt that Aliena and Tommy were enough of a burden for him. "I don't know that Richard is my responsibility!"
"Well, he's mine," she said quietly. "When you took me on you took him too."
"I don't remember agreeing to that!" he said angrily.
"Don't be cross."
It was too late: Jack was already cross. "Richard is twenty-three years old-two years older than I am. How come I'm keeping him? Why should I eat dry bread for breakfast and pay for Richard's bacon?"
"Anyway, I'm pregnant again."
"What?"
"I'm having another baby."
Jack's anger evaporated. He seized her hand. "That's wonderful!"
"Are you glad?" she said. "I was afraid you'd be angry."
"Angry! I'm thrilled! I never knew Tommy when he was tiny-now I'll find out what I missed."
"But what about the extra responsibility, and the money?"
"Oh, to hell with the money. I'm just bad-tempered because we have to live apart. We've got plenty of money. But another baby! I hope it's a girl." He thought of something, and frowned. "But when...?"
"It