At that moment, Ben was standing in the trees over the road from the school entrance watching the children come out. His heart was thumping. Normally by this time George was here waiting for them but so far today there had been no sign of him. Could this be his chance? At that moment Daisy and Thomas appeared in the school doorway, their little satchels and gas masks slung over their shoulders, and when they reached the gate they paused to glance up and down the lane for George who had told them they must wait there for him should he ever be late. There were just the two of them today as Edith had kept Peggy at home because of a bad cough. Deciding that it was now or never, Ben stepped from the shelter of the trees and hurried across to them. He had been wrestling with his conscience ever since he had spoken to Kathy, but now he had convinced himself that he deserved a chance to get to know them.

‘Hello, you two.’

Looking up they found themselves staring at the kindly stranger who had been treating them to sweeties and they smiled at him.

‘I’m Ben, a friend of your mummy’s,’ he told them jovially. ‘George can’t fetch you today, so she asked me to pick you up. But first I’m going to take you both on a little adventure.’

The smiles slid from the children’s face as they stared doubtfully at each other. If what he was saying was true, why hadn’t Mummy told them about him? She had always told them they must never go off with a stranger, but then he wasn’t really a stranger, was he? They had seen him quite a number of times over the last few days and he’d always treated them kindly. Furthermore, if Mummy had told him to pick them up from school, she would be angry if they didn’t do as he asked, wouldn’t she?

‘All right.’ It was Daisy who made the decision. ‘But what sort of adventure are you taking us on?’

‘You’ll see. It’s a surprise,’ Ben told them, as he took their hands and led them away in the opposite direction to which he knew George would come. ‘First of all, we’re going to have a ride on a bus into town. And then I’m going to take you on a train ride.’

Thomas still looked a little doubtful, but Daisy’s eyes were shining. ‘A train ride! Cor, I love trains,’ she exclaimed. ‘David takes me trainspottin’ sometimes when he comes home on leave.’ And almost before they knew it, they were on a bus heading into town.

As the end of her shift approached, Matron came up to Kathy, who was dressing a wound in one of the wards.