“Have a kettleful each and wash in bits. I’ve got quite good at it now, but I found it very trying in the winter. Whichever half you wash first seems to freeze while you’re washing the other half.”

Janet looked at the wide porcelain bath and the fitted basin.

“It seems awfully odd that you can get a lovely cottage like this for ten shillings a week, doesn’t it?”

“And you haven’t seen the half of it yet. There’s an orchard at the back, and I’m making a nice vegetable garden.”

“You are! You’re not digging!”

Maggie nodded proudly.

“Of course I am, for victory.” She put her arm round Janet. “Come down, darling, you must be dying for a cup of tea.” She led the way into the kitchen, and put a kettle on to boil, and started to lay a tray.

“Where’s Sheila?”

Maggie went on quietly setting out the tea things.

“In the other room, I expect; most likely she’s reading, she’s still crazy on those film papers.”

“But doesn’t she get the tea?”

“Sheila!” Maggie laughed. “Surely you know her better than that. Can you see her doing housework? It’s all I can get her to do to make her own bed.”

Janet said nothing for a moment, but took the tea-pot off the shelf. Then she spoke in a voice she forced to sound casual.

“How do you find time to garden if you’ve all the housework to get through?”

Maggie, unaware she was being catechized, answered easily. “Just a little organizing does it. I manage cold dinners and then I’m free in the afternoons. Of course I can’t do much on shopping days, but I keep that down to twice a week. Seems funny after London where one was always slipping out for something.”

Janet spoke more casually than ever.

“How does Sheila amuse herself?”

“Not very well, I’m afraid. She has little tasks, fetching the milk from the farm, and she did help in garnishing camouflage nets for the W.V.S. twice a week, but she had to give that up because she said the stuff they’re woven of made her cough. Now she sometimes helps at a soldiers’ canteen.” She lowered her voice. “I’m not very happy about her. I’ll tell you later. I think her health’s better, I’ve made her rest up, and feed up, but of course she’s still a bundle of nerves.”