Jonty, feeling thoroughly embarrassed, interrupted. ‘I met Snowy earlier in the day when I was searching for the overhead railway,’ he said. ‘He very kindly looked at my list of attractions and took me in hand. I wouldn’t have seen the half if it hadn’t been for him, and you should see the slippers I bought for Ma! Well, you will see them, as soon as we get back to Mr Payne’s. And in the meantime the three of us might as well eat together; indeed, since I can’t see a single table free, we’ll be lucky if we only share with each other and not with some grumpy old fellow so eager to get his grub inside him that he’s splashing gravy all over the place.’

Tess gave a reluctant smile: this had happened to her and Jonty on their previous visit to the Corner House, and she quite saw his point. ‘Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t,’ she quoted airily, giving Snowy a rather doubtful smile. ‘Come on then, let’s join the queue at the counter. Grab a tray, fellers.’

Albert was cashing up early since he and Tess wanted to be at the hospital in good time. Now that Edie was on an ordinary ward, visiting hours were restricted and they were only allowed to spend one hour with her. Today they needed every minute of that hour, because Tess would want to describe her interview and Albert, who had popped into Deering’s in his lunch hour, had a great many goodwill messages from the staff to pass on. Also, he had cooked an old favourite of his wife’s – Woolton pie – which he meant to serve to himself and his young friends before they set off for the hospital. He had never before attempted baking, but Tess had left him with a ball of made-up pastry and a list of instructions, and when he had put the pie in the oven he was really pleased with his efforts. As his wife’s recipe had instructed, he had steamed a quantity of vegetables – carrots, broad beans, peas and turnip – for twenty minutes. Then he had thickened the vegetable water with cornflour. Rolling out the pastry had been easy, and lining the pie dish with it had pleased him. He thought of how he would surprise Edie with his cooking skills when she came out of hospital, and now, having finished cashing up, he locked the shop door and went up to the flat to check that the pie was ready.

He opened the oven door with great caution and lifted it out, standing it on the kitchen table. He was just beginning to congratulate himself on its golden perfection when there was a sharp rap on the kitchen door and Jonty and Tess came in. Tess was smiling. ‘I got the job!’ she said. ‘Oh, and Snowy’s downstairs. I told him to wait. He’s been very good to Jonty, taking him round most of the places he thought he ought to see, so I wondered if you might ask him to share our supper. He’s bought Gran a little present, and would like to come up to the hospital with us for evening visiting. It seemed a bit harsh to tell him he could but we were going to have supper without him first.’ She stared at the pie. ‘I say, you’ve made a good job of that, Albert. Just wait till Gran comes out of hospital; she’ll be that impressed!’ Albert looked rather doubtfully at the golden-crusted Woolton pie, then drew imaginary lines from top to bottom and from side to side and smiled to himself. Yes, it would do very well for four people. He had already scrubbed a panful of potatoes and put them over the flame, so he turned to Tess, nodding his head. ‘How nice that you and Snowy are friends again,’ he said. ‘Run down and tell him he’s very welcome to share our supper.’