Twenty-three

I“Have you heard what’s on at Quarry Wood?” said Mrs. Cartwright, put-ting a packet of Fluffy Flakelets and Wonder White into her shopping bag.

“Quarry Wood?” said Elspeth McKay, to whom she was talking. “No, Ihaven’t heard anything particular.” She selected a packet of cereal. Thetwo women were in the recently opened supermarket making their morn-ing purchases.

“They’re saying the trees are dangerous there. Couple of forestry menarrived this morning. It’s there on the side of the hill where there’s a steepslope and a tree leaning sideways. Could be I suppose, that a tree couldcome down there. One of them was struck by lightning last winter but thatwas farther over, I think. Anyway, they’re digging round the roots of thetrees a bit, and a bit farther down too. Pity. They’ll make an awful mess ofthe place.”

“Oh well,” said Elspeth McKay, “I suppose they know what they’re doing.

Somebody’s called them in, I suppose.”

“They’ve got a couple of the police there, too, seeing that people don’tcome near. Making sure they keep away from things. They say somethingabout finding out which the diseased trees are first.”

“I see,” said Elspeth McKay.

Possibly she did. Not that anyone had told her but then Elspeth neverneeded telling.