Daniel gathered the dog's remains up in his arms – messy, but it scarcely mattered – all their clothes would have to be burned anyway – and walked out to the bone-yard on the east side of the cottage, where the remains of all Hooke's and Wilkins's investigations were burned, buried, or used to study the spontaneous generation of flies. Notwithstanding which, the air was relatively clean and fresh out here. Having set the remains down, Daniel found that he was walking directly towards a blazing planet, a few degrees above the western horizon, which could only be Venus. He walked and walked, letting the dew on the grass cleanse the blood from his shoes. The dawn was making the fields shimmer pink and green.