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imagine,” he said shortly, in the posh accent he’d picked up at his school.
    They all ate their sandwiches, and the compartment became a smelly mess of greasy papers, crumbs and spilt milk. Miss Nott and Margery darted around trying totidy up. Then Miss Nott’s plump figure swayed in the corridor while she led a singalong: “Run Rabbit Run”, “Roll Out the Barrel” and “There’ll Always Be an England”. Dulcie joined in dutifully, but Norah refused.
    The singing began to falter as the children grew drowsy. Gavin fell asleep and Norah tried to pull her cramped arm from under him. Finally she dozed off herself, the train’s chant intruding into her dreams: Don’t want to go, don’t want to go, don’t want to go …
    T HEY ARRIVED IN LIVERPOOL early in the morning. Miss Nott said goodbye, looking relieved to be free of them. The dazed and hungry children were driven to a hostel at the edge of the city where they spent the next few days, eating at long tables and sleeping in long rows on straw pallets on the floor. The hostel filled up with children from all over Britain, many with strong accents that were hard to decipher. Norah began to feel like a performing puppet. Again and again she was asked to follow someone, to get ready for bed, to get up, to eat, to play games and to sing rousing songs.
    On the first day a doctor examined her and pronounced her “scrawny but fit”. The next morning an earnest and important-looking man told the assembled children, as Dad had, that they were little ambassadors. “When things go wrong, as they often will, remember you are British and grin and bear it. Be truthful, brave, kind and grateful.”
    Norah stored this advice at the back of her mind along with all the other she had received and promptly forgot it.The only person’s she followed was Mum’s: she carefully cleaned her teeth every evening. It was somehow soothing to do such a simple task.
    As for looking after Gavin, she left that up to the women in charge. She waved to him in the morning and reminded him to clean his teeth at night. But she had too much to brood about to consider him in between. Besides, he wasn’t making a fuss, although he looked bewildered and whispered a lot to Creature.
    On the third morning they were taken on a bus to the wharves. It took most of the day to board the ship. First they were herded into a cavernous shed called the Embarkation Area. Hundreds of children raced about while harried-looking escorts tried to find their groups.
    Norah’s escort was Miss Montague-Scott. She was an enthusiastic, strong woman with springy brown curls, much livelier than the frazzled Miss Nott. Norah had already met her at the hostel; Miss Montague-Scott would take care of them all the way to Canada. There were fifteen children in her group, including Dulcie and Lucy, all of them girls. But now Miss Montague-Scott was leading Gavin up to them.
    â€œHere she is! Norah, we’ve decided Gavin’s too young to go with the boys. He’ll stay with us and sleep in your cabin.”
    Norah looked over her brother doubtfully; now she’d have to look after him. She’d never had to before; Mum or Muriel or Tibby always had.
    Gavin’s cheeks were as flushed as if he had a fever. “Are we going on the ship now, Norah? Will Muv and Dad be on the ship too?”
    Oh no ! Didn’t he realize? Norah looked around frantically for Miss Montague-Scott, but she had hurried away to organize someone else.
    She couldn’t tell him—then he’d cry and everyone would expect her to do something. “Hold on to me, we’re supposed to follow the others,” she muttered, ignoring his question.
    A woman fastened a small hard disc stamped with a number around Norah’s neck. Another official checked their identity cards and passports and made sure they didn’t have too much luggage. Then someone collected