Edward had a huge cucumber in a string bag, which was his entry in the vegetable show. This was traditionally, with one exception, an all-male competition, and heavily contested by the gardeners and allotment holders of Little Grindle. Tom Arnold entered the vegetables he had grown at the Hall under the name ‘Mrs Stellion’, but although they were often plainly the biggest and best, they never won, and Mrs Stellion herself would graciously present the little silver cup for ‘Best in Show’ to one of her rivals.

Ellen and Ed walked ahead, joking about the giant vegetables of past years and speculating on Ed’s chances of winning in his class.

‘First prize is a three-shilling postal order, so it’s worth having,’ he said.

Dora and Nancy shared their cake-baking secrets as they went. Mrs Fowler was the acknowledged queen of cakes, but the rivalry for her crown was fierce in a friendly sort of way.

‘And Betty’s doing her fortune-telling again,’ said Dora. ‘She’s looked out that spangled frock she got last year and a shawl to pull over her head. We all know it’s Betty, though.’

‘Are you going to have your fortune told?’ asked Nancy. ‘I never know whether to believe it – like reading your horoscope in the magazines: you want the good bits to be true, but then after a day or two you forget about it anyway. I expect Betty makes up summat and folk come away pleased.’

‘Oh, I don’t know as it’s made up,’ said Dora, Betty’s best friend. ‘She’s got a crystal ball and everything.’

Nancy considered this seriously. ‘Well, she’s certainly a wise woman and knows all sorts, so I suppose there’s no reason why fortune-telling shouldn’t be another string to her bow. Mebbe I’ll have my fortune told, after all. Perhaps I’ll meet a tall dark stranger.’

‘If there’s a stranger round here you can be sure we’ll all know about him within a day, and most of us will have met him within two days,’ Dora laughed.

‘Which reminds me, have you seen James Stellion’s back home? Arrived yesterday, apparently. Mrs Fowler saw him zooming past in a flash little car, disturbing the peace of a Sunday dinnertime.’

‘Mrs S will be pleased. She thinks the sun shines out of that one. ’Course, I’d prepared his room for Friday, same as for Diana and the friend she’s brought with her, but I didn’t know he’d got here. Gina will tell me all the news if I can catch her. She’s been that busy this week …’