Katie exclaimed over all the details of the street that she remembered: the raw gaps where bombs had fallen, the timber yard and, further along, the cycle finishing works. She stopped, aware with the prickling feeling that she was standing by Em’s old house.

‘That was where my friend lived . . .’

She pointed, seeing the old green door, which looked much the same, and felt a deep pang for all the times she had run to knock on it for Em to come out and play.

‘See that entry there?’ She pointed to the alley going along into a yard. ‘Another girl from my school lived up there – Molly Fox she was called.’ Katie shook her head. Looking back now, she could see how hard she and everyone else had been on Molly – except for Em, who had been kind. Poor Molly, she’d never done anything wrong, she’d just been unlucky in her family. Now she was able to give Molly credit. She had always tried, heartbreakingly hard it seemed now, to join in, to make friends, however much they all teased and rejected her. ‘You know, her brother was hanged . . .’ She had to explain to Marek. ‘Put to death by the law – he murdered a woman.’

‘Oh!’ Marek said. ‘Well, that’s not good!’

‘No – he was vile, even when he was six years old. Poor old Molly, I heard she joined up in the war.’

They walked on towards the old house. So many things remained unchanged. Except, of course, for the gaping hole in the row of houses where that funny old couple lived. Katie struggled to remember them, their names. That was it: Jenny and Stanley Button. Kindly souls – and how she had been encouraged to look down on them by her mother! Vera, who had been scraping a living just as Jenny Button did with her bakery, yet thought she was so superior. Katie felt full of indignation. Life had certainly taught her a thing or two about who was worthwhile in this world!

‘Oh, and look – that used to be the pawnshop.’ She explained what that was. ‘It’s closed, by the look of things. And our little sweet shop! There were two old ladies used to run it: twins. Funny old ducks. I wonder if they’re still there? They can’t be – they used to look as old as the hills when I was young!’

They walked slowly past, peering in.

‘Oh!’ Katie stifled a cry. ‘I saw her – one of them! Heavens above, I’d’ve thought they’d’ve been long gone. They can’t have been as old as I thought. Yes – the Misses Price: Lucy and Madeleine. It was ever so hard to tell them apart, they used to dress the same and everything. Well, fancy that. And this’ – she turned round – ‘is where we used to live.’

They looked up at the narrow house, two storeys and an attic on top. It was in poor repair and the windows were dark and uncurtained. It did not look inviting.