“You can’t. It’s going to be hard enough anyway, to hide myself on the ship, and steal food and so on. I couldn’t look after you too.”

“You wouldn’t have to look after me. I’d be quiet as a mouse.”

“I’d feel worried about you.”

“Won’t you worry about leaving me all on my own?”

“We’ve got to take care of ourselves!” he said angrily.

She saw that his mind was made up. She had never been able to talk him round when his mind was made up. With dread in her heart she said: “When should we go? In the morning?”

He shook his head. “Now. I’ll need to get aboard the ship as soon as it’s dark.”

“Do you really mean it?”

“Yes.” As if to prove it, he stood up.

She stood up too. “Should we take anything?”

“What?”

She shrugged. She had no spare clothes, no souvenirs, no possessions of any kind. There was no food or money to take. “I want to kiss Mama goodbye,” she said.

“Don’t,” said Danny harshly. “If you do, you’ll stay.”

It was true. If she saw Mama now she would break down and tell everything. She swallowed hard. “All right,” she said, fighting back the tears. “I’m ready.”

They walked away side by side.

When they got to the end of the street she wanted to turn around and take a last look at the house; but she was afraid that if she did she would weaken; so she walked on, and never looked back.

FROM The Times: CHARACTER OF THE ENGLISH SCHOOLBOY. — The Deputy-Coroner for Ashton, Mr. H. S. Wasbrough, held an inquest yesterday at the Station Hotel, Windfield, on the body of Peter James St John Middleton, aged 13, a schoolboy. The boy had been swimming in a pool at a disused quarry near Windfield School when two older boys had seen him apparently in difficulties, the court was told. One of the older boys, Miguel Miranda, a native of Cordova, gave evidence that his companion, Edward Pilaster, aged 16, stripped off his outer clothing and dived in to try to save the younger boy, but to no avail.