The girl stared anxiously up at him. ‘Have they gone, or are they still hanging about outside?’ she asked. ‘Suppose they’re hiding somewhere, just waiting for me to come out? Oh, dear, whatever shall I do?’

Albert saw that the girl’s big brown eyes were full of tears, and went over to the door to check that the lads were not hanging about outside. As far as he could see the pair had disappeared, so he locked up again and turned to the fugitive. ‘They’re not outside; the crowds are thinning and if they had been hanging around I’d have seen them,’ he said. ‘I’m going to make a cuppa in my flat. You can come up and tell me what’s been goin’ on while you drink it.’

The girl got to her feet with an anxious glance at the door, then followed Albert up the stairs and into his small, chilly kitchen, where he lit the gas and got out the scones. Then he raised his brows at his visitor. ‘Well? Fire ahead,’ he said.

The girl knuckled her eyes. ‘Well, to start at the very beginning, I was evacuated to a farm in Norfolk during the war and Mrs Bell, the farmer’s wife, sent me a whole ten-shilling note through the post as a Christmas box. She said I was to spend it on whatever I liked, so I thought I’d spend it all on Gran, because she’s so good to me. I’d seen a little Christmas tree which only cost a bob, and then I saw, further along the same stall, a beautiful glass angel. I picked it up and held it out towards the stallholder, along with the ten-shilling note.’ She sighed tremulously. ‘Only the boys must have seen the money and tried to grab it and in the struggle the angel got broken, so then the stallholder tried to grab the note saying I’d have to pay for the angel anyway, and the boys were still trying to get it away from me so I hit out and ran like a rabbit.’ She sniffed, then smiled. ‘I’m very sorry about the angel, and the little tree, because I reckon Gran would have loved them. And I’m truly sorry I led the boys to your shop, mister. I didn’t mean to bring ’em down on anyone else.’

Albert laughed. ‘I’ve dealt with worse in my time,’ he assured her. ‘The first place looters used to head for when there had been a bad bombing raid was a tobacconist. I used to keep a cudgel under the counter – still do – so I’m not frightened of those lads. They won’t come back, and they won’t attack you a second time, not unless you go waving a purse full of money under their noses again.’

The girl murmured a protest, but then grinned. ‘It was just the ten-bob note,’ she said. ‘Well, that’s one mistake I shan’t make again.’

‘Did you know either of the boys?’ Albert asked. ‘Do they go to your school, or live in the same neighbourhood? If so, mebbe you ought to talk to the scuffers. It’s bad enough having spivs hangin’ round on every corner without thieves like that attacking young girls. But weren’t you shopping with a pal? Kids these days tend to go round in pairs; it’s safer, what with pickpockets and handbag snatchers taking advantage of the Christmas crowds.’ As he spoke he had been making the tea, and now he poured two mugs, one of which he handed to his guest. The girl perched on Albert’s kitchen stool, whilst he sat himself down in the creaky basket chair and waited for her answer.