This is worse than Hollywood, he thought. A girl comes in with a pork chop and I write a song for her.

The dowager rose and slipped from her pew. There was the sound of tearing silk as she threw up her arms to embrace her son. Then: Oh, Rupert, darling, she exclaimed in tones of theatrical despair, don't you see? The game's up!

Slowly, Anna put up a hand to his muzzle and began to scratch that spot behind the ear where large dogs keep their souls.

The sisters worked from dawn to dusk. One of them was an idiot she started shaving her legs and marrying tax inspectors, so she was no good.

But she had to know words. She had to know everything.

When you're sad, my Little Star, go out of doors. It's always better underneath the open sky.

Herr Altenburg, I can't I have vertigo.' And Marek looked at him: 'All right - I'll get the chemist to fix me something.

What are you afraid of then? Not Being able to see, I think not seeing because your obsessed by something that blots out the world.

Not a frog, I hope?” he asked…She shook her head. “No. And if it was I wouldn’t kiss it, I promise you. I might kiss a prince if I could be sure he’d turn into a frog, but not the other way around.

Then he kissed her. It was a very long time before he let her go. When he did, she looked up at him, hurt and bewilderment on her face. 'Why did you stop?' asked Tessa. 'I thought you might want to breathe,' said Guy carefully. 'Breathe?'said Tessa , shocked. 'I don’t need to breathe  when I’m with you.'

And so they played some of the world's loveliest piano music - the exiled homesick girl, the humiliated, tired old man. Not properly. Better than that.