Seth shouted, “Ay, tell that big lass, your mate, Flossie, the one who looks like she could flatten some grass. Tell her Seth says how do and tell her I’ll wait for her tomorrow neet at t’back of Dither Hall.”

I said huffily, “I don’t think Florence cares where you hang about at ‘neet.’”

Seth and Ruben both went, “Ooooooohhhhh, get you!!!”

Seth said, “Ay, tell Flossie I’ll be there abaht seven-ish.”

Huh.

Then Ruby and Matilda came tumbling out for school.

Ruben said to her, “Awreet, Ruby?”

Ruby said, “Aye, I’m all right, but where’s that daft brother of yours? Has ’e bin shot yet?”

Ruben said, “She’ll nivver find Cain.”

Seth joined in. “If Cain dun’t want to be fand, he’ll nivver be fand.”

Ruby flounced off to school and so did I.

I couldn’t wait to tell the mates about Charlie.

The rest of the Tree Sisters were with Bob and Monty in the music studio all morning so I didn’t have a chance to tell them anything. I was on prop-making duties, making fairy wings. Bending chicken wire and covering it with whatever I could find, mostly newspaper. There’s hardly anything to work with.

At lunch I told the Tree Sisters what had happened with Charlie.

I said, “Charlie came to see me in the barn.”

Jo said, “Oooooh, what was the ‘stuff’ he wanted to talk about, if you know what I mean?”

Flossie said, “Was it snogging stuff?”

And I said, “Well, yes, in a way. He said he really likes me, but already has a girlfriend and was sorry for being an idiot.”

Vaisey said, “Well, it’s nice that he really likes you, isn’t it? And, you know, let you know that he was sorry.”

I said, “I suppose so. But in a way it would be nice just to have someone who liked me and it not be all complicated.”

Jo said, “Oh, it’s all me me me with you, isn’t it, Tallulah? What about me me me!!!”

I said, “What about you? What’s the matter with you?”

She folded her arms. “What is the matter with me? What is the matter with me?”

I said, “Well, what is the matter with you?”

Jo said, “I’ll tell you what the matter with me is, I’ve got a boyfriend who is tunneling for his life.”

I said, “Well, he’s not, is he … tunneling for his life, he’s—”

But Jo had gone off on one.

“Tunneling for his life and meanwhile suffering the anguish of being underground and undersnogged.”

Then as we were going into Monty’s theater improv workshop, I told Flossie about Seth.

“I told him that you weren’t interested in where he hung out at ‘neet.’ And that he could stay at the back of Dother Hall for a million squillion years and you still wouldn’t be meeting him there.”

Flossie was back in Texas. “Hmmm, you are quite right, Miss Tallulah. Ah’m not a girl who is easy …”

So much for the famous Hinchcliff charm!