But swiftly that moment passed. After all this was Bob’s way of asking, and she had never been asked before. Besides, though she did not guess at his shy terror, Joanna could read aright the urgency of his desire. The knowledge of this set an abrupt flame leaping in her. She became wooer as well as wooed. With averted face, and eyes obstinately closed, she shifted her weight wholly on to her right elbow, and her left hand, released, slid down and laid itself on the patient hand beneath. Timidly she gave herself, yet with fullness, palm to palm. And Bob clasped her in a rapture of gratitude. With his first touch she was flooded with happiness. But at his kiss she became dreadfully conscious of her knuckles which she felt must stick out hard against his lips. If only she had hands like Georgie’s, with soft dimples instead of knuckles! How she wished to be perfect for him!

II

After all she had only a few minutes alone with Bob before he left the house an hour later, and even then they were not secure from interruption. Hardly had they risen from their knees, when Mabel came into the parlour; and though Joanna tried afterwards she could never recollect her cousin’s excuse for this unexpectedly early return. All she could recall was the picture of Mabel looking up at Bob with her coy, curiously liquid gaze from under the brim of her hat as she took it off. But Bob had no eyes that evening for anyone but Joanna, and after some talk suddenly, as if he had that moment remembered something, he said he must be off.

Joanna went with him to the lobby and stood watching his rather blundering actions at the hatstand. In his acute self-consciousness he fumbled like a blind man. The two did not speak for a few minutes, partly from shyness, partly because Mabel had only just disappeared round the bend of the staircase, leaving the parlour, where Juley still was, with the door open.

But to Joanna’s delight, Bob in a low voice began talking to her in Double Dutch. That she herself, or Georgie, or the boys should ever forget their old secret language was of course unimaginable. Yet she had not dreamed that Bob would remember it – Bob a grown man who had gone out into the world! Joanna loved him for it, and she blushed at him, bright with grateful surprise.

“Joey,” he whispered as he tugged on his waterproof, “can’t you come out for a minute?”

“I’ll try,” breathed Joanna in return, and she wondered at her calmness, making this her first appointment with a lover.

“I’ll wait at the corner of Burns Street where we used to play peever,” said Bob. “How long will you be?”

“I’ll come as quick as I can.”

“I’ll wait half an hour. Promise you’ll come!”

“I’ll come within ten minutes.”