Two friends fall under the spell of a New York -

beauty- with quite unexpected results.

An offhand remark is taken seriously by a Chinese

sculptor and a British diplomat becomes the owner

of a priceless work of art.

An insurance claims advisor has a most unexpected

encounter on the train home to Sevenoaks.

The openings to three of this marvellous collection

of stories that ends with a hauntingly-written,

atmospheric account of two undergraduates at

Oxford in the thirties, a story of bitter rivalry that

ends in a memorable love story.