The Labyrinth Makers

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Every August 14 for twenty-three years Mrs Steerforth put the same In Memoriam notice in the Daily Telegraph: STEERFORTH, John Adair Steerforth, Flt Lieut, DFC, RAFVR.

Lost at sea, September 1945. On this, his birthday, not forgotten

–Mother.

It was not Mrs Steerforth's fault that the notice was inaccurate. She had spent a whole week composing it, adding words and then subtracting them, until in the end she decided that brevity was the soul of dignity.

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The words 'not forgotten' were her only concession to sentiment, and they were the direct result of the inaccuracy. It was the thought of the cold and restless sea that made her heart ache; she was resigned to her son's death, but not to his lack of a known grave.

So for Mrs Steerforth the draining of the lake brought a sort of happiness: she was able to bury her son at last.

By the time Audley became involved with them, the lake, the aircraft and the man had parted company.

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