'What do you mean?' 'You know what Arthur is. He's been hopping around like a cat on hot bricks all evening waiting for his precious wife to turn up. Finally off he goes about half an hour ago to fetch her. Decides she must have forgotten. Forgotten! Well, he's hardly out of the place before she comes sailing in like the figurehead on the good ship Venus. And of course within two minutes of coming into the most crowded room in the county with a queue six deep at the bar, she's sitting in the corner surrounded by drinks. Just wait till Arthur gets back.' Sid drew a couple of pints for a complaining customer, then looked over at Gwen Evans again. 'Mind you,' he said, 'what a pair of bristols, Jesus! There hasn't been anything like that in here since Nancy Jennings went off with that traveller. And Mary James Connon, I mean – was the only thing I've ever known who could have beaten it.'

'Connie's wife?'

'Yes. She doesn't get in here much now, does she? Nor does Connie for that matter. But I can remember the days. Jesus! Connie was married when you came to live here, wasn't he, Marcus?'

'Yes. Just.'

'It must have been a full-time business with that one. No wonder he lost his edge after that. God, he once looked a cert for a cap. First we'd have ever had. Never been a sniff since. All for love.'

Marcus poured himself a scotch.

'He did crack his ankle.' 'Of course he did. I'm not really suggesting, mind you, that kid of theirs came out pretty smartly. Like Connie's pass, they said. And the responsibility can't have helped.

But they seemed to make out all right. Didn't see all that much of Mary after that. But it was before. Like her over there. And Nancy Jennings. Trouble.' Marcus, his eyes still fixed on the noisy corner, ran his glass along his lower lip. 'Are you putting forward as a general proposition, Sid, that women with big breasts cause trouble?' 'Not absolutely. Though there's a bit of truth in it, isn't there?' 'Mary Connon never caused any trouble down here that I saw.' 'Like I said, after they married, she didn't get in here so much. Tailed off. That's an apt phrase if you like. She was six years older than him, you know.'