Salamander: from the realm of the mythical, a creature that lives in fire and enjoys it. A lizardlike, scaleless animal whose skin is moist, soft and slippery, and whose tail is long.

A creature that can change the colour of its belly and back to a shimmering, iridescent blue when trapped.

A creature that can vanish.

To my memories of Stevie Leacock Jr. and old Fred Pellatt, Sir Henry’s brother. To the gold pocket watch Stevie left with his teeth-marks imprinted, and to the million German marks old Fred gave me that were absolutely worthless at the bank. Both men were of what this world is about and both, in their individual ways, would have been greatly bemused to find me writing. Indeed, they would, in retrospect I’m sure, have thought it quite in keeping with my playing tunes from the ’20s and ’30s on my trombone at all hours of the night.