Sammy cleared his throat. ‘I axed you how me ol’ pal Snowy was gerrin’ along,’ he reminded her rather reproachfully. ‘I really will write him a line one of these days . . .’

‘He’s doing fine,’ Tess said quickly. ‘He’s in Malaya, you know, doing what he describes as “clearing up”. He loves Singapore, which is where they go when they’re off patrol for a day or two, but of course he’s only there for another six months.’ She laughed. ‘Poor Snowy. He wanted to go somewhere tropical all right, but he hadn’t bargained for the flies and having to work in a temperature of a hundred degrees, and of course he’d not thought of putting up with the rainy season. Apparently the fellers were washed out of their tents in one particular downpour.’

‘He’ll be rare glad to get back to England, then,’ Sammy observed. ‘Though in six months’ time we’ll be in the middle of winter and likely up to our knees in snow . . .’

‘But not in steamy, hot, jungly rain,’ Tess reminded him. ‘The army makes Snowy take some sort of medication which turns his skin yellow and is supposed to save him from being bitten by a malarial mosquito. He went off all cock-a-hoop, looking forward to moonlit beaches and tropical maidens, and all he’s got is mosquito bites, greasy food and a yellow face, poor old lad.’

Mitch and Elsie came through from the storeroom and began to admire the new arrivals. ‘Do any of ’em talk yet, mister?’ Mitch asked eagerly. Then he frowned. ‘Ain’t you the feller what’s a mate of Snowy White’s?’ And when Sammy nodded he gave a satisfied smile. ‘I thought you was; we’re mates of his too, ain’t we, Elsie? When he comes back he’s goin’ to be a teacher and marry our Tess here. Ain’t that so, Tess?’

Tess leaned over and tried to put her hand across his mouth, but he resisted, giggling. ‘It’s true that he’s my boyfriend, but marriage is a whole different kettle of fish, and don’t you forget it,’ she said. ‘And don’t put words into Elsie’s mouth, because she couldn’t possibly remember Snowy. She was three when he left and she’ll be a proper little schoolgirl by the time he comes back.’

‘That’s right. And I does remember him. He’s a tall feller,’ Elsie said excitedly. ‘Will you let me be bridesmaid, Tess? Oh, say I can, ’cos I’ve never been a bridesmaid.’

Tess and Sammy both laughed, though Tess shook her head reprovingly. ‘Since I’m not considering marriage I’m not choosing my bridesmaids either,’ she said. ‘But if I was, you’d be first on the list. Now let’s release these birds into the aviary. We’ll deal with them properly later.’

She paid the asking price without hesitation, noting the amount and getting Sammy’s signature on the receipt. Then she waved him off and returned to her work. Nice, she thought, to have something to tell Snowy in her next letter. She wrote once a week and often found it difficult to fill her pages. Snowy enlivened his with descriptions of the Malayan countryside and stories of the other men in his regiment, but she had to rely upon events which took place in the pet shop. Because of her promise she went to the cinema only with Lucy or with Gran, and though she had been to dances at the local ballrooms she never mentioned such outings to Snowy. It would not have seemed fair with him far away in a foreign land and apt to imagine her clasped in someone else’s arms, even though the men she danced with were always just friends.