It had been agreed between Janet and Maggie the night before, that just for two or three days, until Janet had settled down in her new job, Maggie might do the cooking, and get the breakfast. In return she promised not to touch the garden, and to use Sheila for part of the housework, leaving the rest for Janet when she got back from Iris. Maggie had agreed the more readily because she was sure Janet would find Iris a whole-time job, and by degrees she would be able to slip back into doing everything, just as before. She had the breakfast on the table when Janet came down. Her lips twitched at the corners.

“A nice plain sailor hat, and some good gloves, would finish off the picture.”

Janet grinned.

“I haven’t overdone it, have I?” She helped herself to toast. “I don’t want to look as if I were playing at the job.”

“You don’t. I had to laugh because you’ve tried so hard you look self-conscious. Are you coming back to dinner?” The thought of meals had not crossed Janet’s mind. She stopped spreading her toast while she considered. What luck her mother had mentioned the subject! She imagined she was meant to feed with Iris at the farm, but how awful if she had taken it for granted. How still more awful if she was expected to go home; it would look as if she were trying to pick up perquisites on top of the two guineas.

“I think I’ll take bread and cheese today. I forgot to ask about dinner.”

“No need to take anything; either you’re having it here or there. You can ask Miss Batten what’s expected. I don’t know if farms get more to eat than we do; if they don’t I expect they’d rather you came back because of your rations, but if they want you to stay you could register with their butcher, and take up some cooking fat and sugar.”

Janet interrupted Maggie’s planning.

“No, I’d rather take bread and cheese, if you can spare it. Sheila could take my books to the Food Office and get my other books today, couldn’t she?”

“Don’t be silly, of course you can have the cheese. It’s not your ration I’m worrying about, it’s only it’s so silly to eat scrappy bits out of a bag when you’ve a good dinner waiting for you a couple of fields away.”

“Just for today I’d like to be independent. You do see how I feel, don’t you?”

“No, I don’t!” Maggie looked amusedly at her daughter. “I think you’re behaving like a goose, which is not like you.”