NANCY: I know. Just don’t say it. Just don’t—ever.

They stand, holding each other against a sense of loss, as ROO comes down the stairs and enters the room. He has changed into his demob suit, with a collar and tie.

ROO: Well? What’s the word on the discharge suit? Thought it was time to give it an airing?

BARNEY pulls away from NANCY and turns aside. ROO, shrewdly summing up the atmosphere, offers the two of them a moment’s respite.

And I’ve opened Olive’s present. Spread the silver foxes on the bed. [Extending the reprieve] Might encourage her to get dressed up, and we can start some of this celebratin’ we been missing out on.

NANCY: [covering up for BARNEY] Yeh. Any luck, you might get in at Mario’s. The dinner crowd has fallen off, now the Yanks are pullin’ out.

ROO: And what about you two?

NANCY: Us? What we got in mind is more a quiet sort of wake, I reckon.

She eyes BARNEY’s forlorn back and is seized with an overwhelming despairing pity.

Aaahh—who the hell am I kiddin’? There’s nobody in the world needs a celebration more than we do.

She moves to touch BARNEY’s shoulder.

C’mon, buster. We’ll see how that demob suit hangs on you.

He hugs her for a convulsive second and makes his escape upstairs.

And me, I’ll get dolled up as well. Shake out my glad rags, and put some war paint on—

She starts to follow BARNEY from the room.

ROO: [half a question] Nancy?

NANCY: Say a kind word to me, and I’ll howl from now till doomsday.

She goes away upstairs.

ROO’s sympathetic awareness of her is immediately distracted by the clang of the street gate. He moves to open the front door and to greet OLIVE and her mother as they arrive on the verandah.

ROO: How did it go?

EMMA passes him without answer or acknowledgment and continues straight on towards the kitchen. OLIVE makes her way into the living room and ROO shuts the street door to join her.

She get any word of what they’re up to?

OLIVE: Hard to say. [Removing her coat] She made two calls. I put the pennies in, got the numbers, all the bits she hates—after that I stood outside the box and watched her through the glass. Arguin’ her head off. First with Maurie, then the other one.

ROO: Doesn’t sound too good.

OLIVE: No.

ROO: [briskly reassuring] Well, never mind. Leave it to me, I’ll have a word with her after. Any duckshovin’ there is, I’ll take it in hand tomorrow morning. In the meantime, Nance and Barney. Told them that they got to cut their caper, and they’ve had a talk.

OLIVE: [dismissively] Bit late now for talking.

She carries her hat and coat away to the hallstand.