BARNEY: People? He’s a German reffo—

ROO: [rounding on him] You keep out of it, you big mouth. What would you know?

BARNEY: I know—

ROO: You know nothin’. Playin’ games and gettin’ people churned up, that’s what you know. [To NANCY] Look, we’ve got to think of Olive.

NANCY: Not this time. This time it’s my turn. Me—before it’s too late.

ROO: [recognising her need] Okay. But if we’re gunna do it, then we’ll do it properly. Not a lot of argy bargy, you two—how is she? She alright?

This last enquiry is to OLIVE, as she returns to the room, pleased and relieved at the success of her mission to the kitchen.

OLIVE: Yes. Bit upset, but I’ve smoothed her over. Said we’re sorry—and I’ve promised no more jokes about a telephone.

ROO: Wasn’t funny, anyhow.

OLIVE: Wasn’t, I s’pose. ’Ceptin’ at the start— [giving way to an involuntary giggle] —when she first saw the phone and Barney—that was funny.

ROO: Easy to poke fun, somethin’ like that. But Emma’s tryin’ to make a future for herself.

OLIVE: Yes, but all that fuss about a telephone—

ROO: Way it goes. Now the war is over, people everywhere are lookin’ around ’em. Makin’ sure the life they got is what they want. We got any sense, we’d do the same ourselves.

OLIVE: Us?

ROO: Why not? See what’s in the wind for our lot.

OLIVE: Oh, c’mon. We know already—you two gettin’ your discharge next week—

ROO: Yeh, but there’s a whole lot more than—

OLIVE: [taking over in an impulsive overriding rush] It’s crazy, y’know, real crazy, but I’m goin’ to say it. I knew from the start that things would turn out right for us. Even when the war was at its worst and all the news was terrible, even then I knew—

ROO: [still trying] We were lucky, Ol. Plain lucky—

OLIVE: No, more than that. Much more. This was something special. What Mum calls the hand of Providence. All along the line we had it set for us—not just big things like the two of you bein’ safe and sound, but other things as well—ordinary things you’d never imagine—I mean odd, like managin’ to find a doll each year—

Gesturing towards a nearby cluster of carnival dolls:

They stopped makin’ these the early years of the war—I’ve looked round, and you can’t get them nowadays anywhere. Carnival shows or Luna Park or anywhere at all. Yet every year when you came down on leave, you always managed to get hold of—

She stops short, aware of a sudden air of complicity.

What is it? What’ve I said?

ROO shakes his head.

Oh, come on. I know when—what is it?

NANCY: [harshly] You don’t tell her, I will.