'Are you quite sure he's conscious?' she asked, not looking up.
'Oh yes, completely,' Landy said.
'And he can see me?'
'Perfectly.'
'Isn't that marvellous? I expect he's wondering what happened.'
'Not at all. He knows perfectly well where he is and why he's there. He can't possibly have forgotten that.'
'You mean he knows he's in this basin?'
'Of course. And if only he had the power of speech, he would probably be able to carry on a perfectly normal conversation with you this very minute. So far as I can see, there should be absolutely no difference mentally between this William here and the one you used to know back home.'
'Good gracious me,' Mrs Pearl said, and she paused to consider this intriguing aspect.
You know what, she told herself, looking behind the eye now and staring hard at the great grey pulpy walnut that lay so placidly under the water, I'm not at all sure that I don't prefer him as he is at present. In fact, I believe that I could live very comfortably with this kind of a William. I could cope with this one.
'Quiet, isn't he?' she said.
'Naturally he's quiet.'
No arguments and criticisms, she thought, no constant
admonitions, no rules to obey, no ban on smoking cigarettes, no pair of cold disapproving eyes watching me over the top of a book in the evenings, no shirts to wash and iron, no meals to cook - nothing but the throb of the heart machine, which was rather a soothing sound anyway and certainly not loud enough to interfere with television.
'Doctor,' she said. 'I do believe I'm suddenly getting to feel the most enormous affection for him. Does that sound queer?'
'I think it's quite understandable.'
'He looks so helpless and silent lying there under the water in his little basin.'
'Yes, I know.'
'He's like a baby, that's what he's like. He's exactly like a little baby.'
Landy stood still behind her, watching.
'There,' she said softly, peering into the basin. 'From now on Mary's going to look after you all by herself and you've nothing to worry about in the world. When can I have him back home, Doctor?'
'I beg your pardon?'
'I said when can I have him back - back in my own house?'
'You're joking,' Landy said.
She turned her head slowly around and looked directly at him. 'Why should I joke?' she asked. Her face was bright, her eyes round and bright as two diamonds.
'He couldn't possibly be moved.'
'I don't see why not.'
'This is an experiment, Mrs Pearl.'
'It's my husband, Dr Landy.'
A funny little nervous half-smile appeared on Landy's mouth. 'Well...' he said.