Katie saw Molly controlling her face so as not to show how much she minded. She always seemed to end up on her own, but she really was dreadfully smelly – even the teachers noticed. And Miss Lineham wasn’t known for her kindness. Though quite young, she was harsh and spiteful.

Now Lily had taken over Em’s place, it was Em who had to sit next to Molly, if she ever turned up. Seeing her empty seat, Katie remembered with a sudden pang all their games with Ella and Princess Lucy. Em had a rag doll, Princess Lucy, with patched pink cheeks and yellow wool hair and her eyelashes stitched on. Katie’s doll, Ella, had a white china face with tinted cheeks and a rather flat cloth body. They had had hours of fun with them. Even Princess Lucy and Ella couldn’t be friends now! The thought brought tears to Katie’s eyes, which she quickly wiped away so that Lily didn’t see and ask what was wrong.

Miss Lineham called the register. Once again, Em was absent.

It was a great relief that Em wasn’t at school that particular day. Katie found Lily rather dull in comparison, but she was eager enough to be bossed around, which Katie found flattering, and she didn’t have to spend the day trying to keep out of Em’s way, or sit next to her and see how unhappy she was. Em had looked so pale lately and, when she did come to school, Miss Lineham had caned her for not paying attention. Em never got the cane as a rule and it had come as a terrible shock.

Katie didn’t really understand what was going on in the Browns’ house even now. First there was the baby – Em’s mom had given birth to the youngest in the family, Violet – then Em had gone all distant and subdued. She no longer looked clean and nice, like she used to. Then she more or less disappeared from school, and now there was this talk about Mrs Brown going to the asylum. Katie tried to shrug it all off. She was not to know or have anything to do with people like the Browns, Mother said. And she always had to do what Mother said.

Over the following weeks Katie lived in dread of running into Em. To her relief, Em was still staying off school a lot. But one evening, when Katie was playing jackstones out on the street with some other girls from school, Em came out of the house. Katie lowered her head immediately, pretending she hadn’t seen her.

‘Oi, Em! You coming out to play?’ one of them called. There was no reply at first, so the girl tried again. ‘Em?’

‘Can’t – I got to go somewhere.’

Katie kept her head down, hearing Em’s feet hurrying past. She hoped Em hadn’t seen her there in the group. She felt so ashamed, and so unsure what to think. Should she trust her mother’s version of things or her own – that Em was her friend? But it was too late now anyway.