As soon as she had finished her supper of milksoup and bread, May hurried to the nursery. She wrapped Angel, who was grizzling fretfully, in a shawl, picked up the rag doll from which she hated being parted, and carried her up to the dormitory she shared with forty other girls. It was a long, narrow room lined on both sides with beds so closely packed together that they were almost touching. It was on the second floor, just under the roof beams, which were festooned with cobwebs. The two ‘nurses’ on duty slept at the far end, away from the draughts that came up the narrow staircase and often after the lamps had been extinguished they would sit gossiping in low voices by the light of a candle. Neither of them took any notice as May carried Angel to her own bed nearer to the door.

Some of the other girls gathered round, excited and curious. ‘What have you got there, May? Who is she? Do they know in the nursery you’ve got her? Why have you brought her up here?’

‘You’re daft about that child,’ Patty said grimly. ‘If she keeps us all awake you can go and sleep on the stairs with her.’

May undressed quickly and got into bed, cuddling Angel close to her. The little girl stopped whimpering and gazed up at her with wide, blue eyes. ‘My-may,’ she mumbled. ‘My-may.’

‘Hush,’ May whispered. ‘Go to sleep now.’

Angel gurgled quietly to herself for a few minutes, then she put her thumb in her mouth and fell asleep.

May was woken sometime later, but not by Angel. She was aware of movement and low voices and, opening her eyes, she saw a thin figure in a white nightgown walking down the narrow aisle between the beds towards the door. Nurse Baker was behind her, repeating her name in a hoarse whisper.

‘Jeanie! Jeanie! Come back to bed. Where do you think you’re going?’

There was no response. Jeanie kept walking, her eyes fixed straight ahead. Baker caught up with her and grabbed her arm.

‘Will you listen to me! Get back to bed this instant!’

Jeanie twisted in her grip with a cry of fear. ‘Let go of me! What … how did I get here?’

‘Sleepwalking. I thought so. Come on, back to bed.’

Baker marched the now-weeping girl back down the dormitory and shoved her unceremoniously onto her bed. ‘Stay there, if you know what’s good for you.’

The following evening there was no objection when May went to collect Angel from the nursery.

‘That’s the best night’s sleep I’ve had since the little horror arrived,’ Smithy said. ‘I bet you’re regretting your offer now, aren’t you?’

‘No, she was fine. No trouble at all.’

‘You’d better carry on, then.’

As May undressed for bed she became aware of low sobs from the other end of the room.