‘You know much more about such things than I do,’ Albert said ruefully. ‘Have you ever thought of opening a pet shop?’

There was a moment of stunned silence whilst Tess’s eyes got rounder and rounder and her mouth dropped open. For a moment she and Albert stared at each other, both bereft of words, but then Tess spoke. ‘Albert Payne, you’re a perishin’ bloody genius,’ she breathed. ‘Why on earth didn’t I think of that? Oh, Albert, the last time I spoke to Jonty on the telephone he was quite cross because he said all I talked about was an ice cream parlour, about which I knew nothing. He said there must be something I was interested in, but all we could think of was that I had learned to type, though not terribly well. He suggested I might look for a job as office junior, and make my way up until I was good enough to apply for secretarial positions. Neither of us thought about the one thing I really do know about, and that’s what they call “animal husbandry”. Oh, Albert, Miss Foulks’s shop would be absolutely ideal, because at the moment if someone wants to buy day-old chicks and rear them in their back yard they have to either go into the country and try to buy stock direct from a farmer or go to the market, and you may be sure that buying that way, with no knowledge of poultry, you’ll be sold rubbish. But if you went to a local pet shop owned by someone with a great deal of experience, who knew exactly what she was doing, not only would you get good birds, but if something went wrong, if they died or sickened, you could take them back, because a pet shop can’t up and off the way a market trader can.’

Albert stared at her, a flush creeping up his neck. ‘I believe you’ve hit on the only idea which really might work,’ he said. ‘But what about setting-up money? I can’t see a bank shelling out to a girl of your age, even with Gran to add respectability.’

Tess began to say that maybe he was right, maybe it was not such a good idea after all, but then she stopped. ‘I won’t be put off,’ she said fiercely. ‘The rent is cheap because the shop isn’t very big, so the cost of setting up would be tiny. I’ll find some lad who’ll knock me up cages from old orange boxes and chicken wire. Gran’s got savings and I’m sure there are other people, folk who are fond of her, like her fellow workers at Deering’s, who’d put up a few bob to get us started. Deering’s could be enormously helpful because of the crumbs. If you’d seen the quantity of crumbs they chuck out for the pigeons every night, you’d know what I mean.’ She glanced rather defiantly at Albert and saw he was regarding her admiringly.

‘You’ve set your heart on it, haven’t you?’ he said in a wondering tone. ‘The minute I mentioned a pet shop you realised it was what you wanted to do more than anything else. As for setting-up costs, you can discuss that with our financial adviser, but for myself I think you’ll find backers. In fact, I’ll talk to my fellow members of the Chamber of Trade . . .’