Even before his road accident, Jake was an introspective, meditative person and slightly taciturn, but always sociable. The desire to be cordial with his new friend Hrodulf, however, clashed with a need for time alone to figure out how to solve the problem of the Snape ring. Helping the ceorl set eel traps or search for wood for the fire hardly inspired clarity of thought. His inability to communicate in Old English meant that he couldn’t explain why he needed to absent himself. His hope was not to trample on the man’s susceptibilities after his kindness but he must have time to himself. With this in mind, he followed the familiar track to the river.
Sitting beside a watercourse had often been a source of inspiration to him. The relentless, silent flow of water matched the stream of his t
