‘What did you come out here for, Floss?’ He was full of bewilderment, and despairing. He would never understand them, he would never know what they wanted, he would never know when, he thought with anguish.

‘I didn’t know,’ she whispered. She wiped her lips with her handkerchief. ‘All the other girls do,’ she said brokenly. ‘I thought… I thought… ’ She began to snuffle again.

‘I was frightened,’ she said. She looked up at him suddenly. ‘You were frightened, too,’ she said accusingly, ‘you were shivering like anything.’

‘I wasn’t,’ said Alfie stoutly.

‘Oh yes you were.’

‘Oh no I wasn’t.’

‘You’ve never done it before?’ she said. ‘Have you?’

‘Who?’ said Alfie. ‘Me? That’s what you think.’

‘Go on,’ she said derisively, but sure of herself at last, and with affection, ‘you can’t kid me.’ She squeezed his arm.

Alfie laughed, relieved and at ease for the first time. ‘Oh, Floss,’ he said. ‘Oh, Floss…’ He put his arm round her and they walked back to the hall together.

***

It was very late, and it was growing cold on Floss’s doorstep.

‘How old are you, Floss?’ asked Alfie.

‘Nineteen.’

‘Honest? You really are?’

‘Yes.’ Indignantly. ‘Why shouldn’t I be? Don’t I look it?’

Hastily. ‘Oh, yes, Floss. Yes, honest, Floss.’

‘How old are you, Alfie?’

‘Twenty. Nearly twenty-one.’

‘Have you got many other girls, Alfie?’

‘Well,’ he weighed his words importantly. ‘None really serious. What about you?’

‘Mmm,’ she pouted, ‘if I told you, you’d be as wise as I was.’

‘Come on, Floss,’ said Alfie, ‘I want to know.’

‘Why do you want to know?’

‘Why d’you think I want to know?’

‘Well,’ she said solemnly, ‘if there was, there won’t be now!’

There were footsteps on the stairs inside the house and, through the blackout, the glow of a light switched on.

‘It’s mum,’ she whispered, ‘she’s waiting up.’

Alfie was terrified. ‘Next week,’ he said, ‘at the dance?’

She nodded, and let him kiss her. Alfie could hear footsteps in the hall now. ‘Look,’ he whispered urgently, ‘not at the dance. In the afternoon. Two o’clock outside the Town Hall. All right?’

She said, yes. They kissed again and Alfie fled.

He hurried through the empty streets, walking faster and faster until he was running, still hoping to catch the last truck back to camp. Inside he was glowing, he was radiant. A girl of my own, my Floss, a girl all of my own; and half the platoon there to see.

The last trucks had rolled back into camp. The crunch of feet on the cinder paths and the banging of doors had ceased. Under the black-bellied clouds split by canyons of green moonlight the camp lay silent again.