‘Like what?’ she asked. ‘I wanted some tissue paper to try to stop it but the toilet’s locked.’ She doubled over again.

‘I’m going to get someone,’ he said. ‘Go into the staff toilets and I’ll get someone to come in and help you.’

He led Alice across to where the two staff toilets, male and female, sat side by side and, knocking first to see if any female staff were already there, he directed Alice inside. Then he went down the corridor, glancing into each room until he found a female member of staff. The first teacher he found was Mary, in the end science lab, from whose room he had taken several of the mercury thermometers.

‘Miss, can I have a moment?’

She looked up at him, safety goggles on, a strip of magnesium in a set of tongs held in front of the Bunsen flame.

‘Can it wait?’

He shook his head.

Mary tutted, just loudly enough for him to hear, then shutting off the Bunsen, took of her goggles.

‘Copy down the method,’ she said to her class. ‘We’ll get back to the experiment in a moment.’

‘Sorry to interrupt,’ Tony explained when she came out of the room. ‘Wee Alice Hamilton is in a bit of a state. She’s in the staff toilet; she’s taken her time of the month and it must be her first, because she has no idea what’s happening. If I watch your class, would you get her sorted, with a sanitary towel or whatever it is she needs? I figured better coming from a female teacher than a male one.’

‘Give me a second,’ Mary said, then headed back into her room and opening one of the lower drawers in her desk, pulled out a small packet, which she put in the pocket of her lab coat. ‘Mr Canning will be taking you for a few minutes, so get on with your work,’ she called to the students, then came out and passed Tony.

About ten minutes later she reappeared at the door. ‘Poor wee mite,’ she said, her mood changed considerably. ‘She was bawling and wailing in there.’

‘Is she OK?’

‘She’s embarrassed,’ Mary said. ‘A wee girl at that age not knowing about her period is madness.’

‘I think it’s just her dad at home,’ Tony said and, for a second, he thought of Karen, of how she’d told him she’d had to ask a friend’s mother about her period. ‘She’s OK, though?’

‘She’s not going to die,’ Mary laughed.

‘I didn’t want to see her upset,’ Tony explained, to ameliorate his building feeling of foolishness.

‘You’re very sweet,’ Mary said. ‘She’s OK and away back to class. I’ve told her if she’s stuck again, she’s to see the nurse or me. But we’ll need to say to her year head, get her a little help.’

Tony told Karen that evening about Alice, and how he’d thought of her when he saw what had happened the girl.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have told you that,’ Karen said. ‘It’s not my happiest memory.’