Tess interrupted. ‘Oh, Snowy, I’m so sorry! You must have had your exam results. Did you get good marks?’

‘Fancy you remembering,’ Snowy said, his tone sarcastic. ‘And you not even bothering to say goodbye to me when you went off to Norfolk! But yes, you’re quite right, I’ve got my results and if I do as well in my School Cert next year I’ll be taking up a place in the sixth form. What about you? I remember Marilyn saying you were bright.’

Tess stopped short so abruptly that the woman walking behind her cannoned into her. Apologies were exchanged before Tess turned an incredulous face to her companion. ‘Marilyn Thomas said I was bright?’ she squeaked. ‘But she doesn’t like me! Oh, I know I haven’t been bullied since you started keeping an eye on me, but I can’t imagine her ever throwing me a nice word.’

‘Well, she did then, if you count her saying that you might get a scholarship,’ Snowy said definitely. ‘She’s all right is Marilyn, but I guess she was jealous of you at first, you being so young and still managing to get to the head of the class. Still, she left school at the end of the summer term and she’s working already, so you won’t need to worry about her when term starts.’

Tess began to walk once more, looking up at Snowy as they went. ‘I bet she’s got a super job, with a decent salary,’ she said wistfully. ‘When I leave school I’ll go straight into a job too, because Gran works terribly hard and it’s about time I contributed something to our little household. Gran would like me to try for a scholarship but I mean to tell her it’s not on. Why, if I got a place at a private school it might be years before I began to earn.’

Snowy nodded. ‘I know what you mean,’ he admitted. ‘I’m an only child and my parents can well afford for me to go on to further education. But for you it’s different, and it’s different for Marilyn too. Her dad went off in the early days of the war with some young floozy, leaving Mrs Thomas to bring Marilyn up by herself. That’s why she took over the corner shop. And it’s probably why Marilyn’s jealous of you.’

‘Jealous? Of me?’ Tess said incredulously. ‘Why on earth would she be jealous of me? I don’t have a mother, though Gran’s as good or better than any mother could possibly be. So how can Marilyn be jealous?’

Snowy smiled knowingly. ‘Can’t you guess? Marilyn would have given a great deal to be able to get a scholarship. She’s got a job behind the haberdashery counter at one of the big stores – I’m not sure which – but I believe she despises shop work, or at least shop work on the haberdashery counter. And the salary’s nothing to write home about, believe me.’

Tess shrugged. ‘Well, I think she’s mad,’ she said. ‘Jobs aren’t easy to find and she’s so pretty she’ll soon be moved from haberdashery into something more interesting. Why, she could be a mannequin and show off beautiful dresses and smart suits. Don’t tell me she wouldn’t like that!’