How long-- ?" He stopped, breathing irregularly.

He squeezed his eyes with his knuckles and sat waiting for an answer.
They spoke in undertones.
"Five or six ?" he asked faintly.

"More ?" "Very much more than that." "More!" "More." He looked at them and it seemed as though imps were twitching the muscles of his face.

He looked his question.
"Many years," said the man with the red beard.
Graham struggled into a sitting position.

He wiped a rheumy tear from his face with a lean hand.