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disastrous. Annie got even more worried when Bill told her about the explosion in Prentis Street some time ago, where a whole row of terraced houses had been demolished by a gas leak.
    Annie Barnes quickly finished off her Guinness, buttoned up her coat and hurried out to see her friend Alice Sutton. Alice would know what to do. In any case, she wasn’t going to knock on Bella’s front door on her own. Bella scared the living daylights out of Annie Barnes. As she passed number 23, Annie shivered and crossed the street. At the Suttons’ front door Annie stopped and looked over her shoulder before rat-tatting loudly.
    The women of the Sutton family were sitting together in the parlour, drinking tea and talking about the possibility of getting Maggie’s two children evacuated. There had been an air-raid warning on the Monday of that week, although it had been a false alarm. The all clear had sounded hours later, and the only effect it had was to make people jumpy the next day from their loss of sleep. It had made Maggie realise however that the children would be much safer away from London. She had talked it over with Joe, but he was unhappy with the idea of sending them away. Already there were bad stories about the reception some of the evacuees had encountered and many families had got their children home after the initial panic at the outbreak of war. Maggie struggled with her conscience and she was listening to what her mother had to say about it.
    ‘It strikes me,’ Alice began, ‘that no matter what decisions you make, it’s in the ’ands o’ the Almighty. I always say, what will be, will be. There’s nuffink anybody can do about it. I mean yer could send the kids away, an’ you an’ Joe could get killed, Gawd ferbid. You’d ’ave a couple of orphans on yer’ands.’
    ‘Don’t talk like that, Mum. You’re givin’ me the creeps,’ Maggie said.
    ‘Well it’s no good tryin’ ter dodge the issue,’ Alice went on. ‘None of us know what’s gonna ’appen. There’s those bloody leaflets they put frew the door last week. Did I show yer? Anyway, it’s about what ter do if there’s an invasion. Cor, it turns yer cold jus’ ter fink about it.’
    Connie was sitting on the floor, her hands clasped around her knees. She looked up at her sister, her blue eyes open wide. ‘I know, why don’t you go wiv the kids? You ’aven’t got a job or anyfing ter worry about.’
    Maggie looked at her disapprovingly. ‘Don’t be silly. ’Ow could I go an’ leave Joe? I mean, there’s ’is food, an’ yer know ’ow useless ’e is in the ’ome. I bet if I was away the place would go rotten. ’E can’t even boil an egg.’
    ‘Well ’e’d bloody well ’ave ter cope. Lots o’ men ’ave done it,’ Connie retorted. ‘The Arrowsmiths ’ave all gone away. Freddy Arrowsmith manages.’
    Maggie laughed aloud. ‘’E’s got a fancy woman, everybody knows that. She does ’is washin’ an’ ironin’, an’ she cooks fer’im. Who knows, I might go away, an’ ’fore yer know it, Joe’s found ’imself a fancy woman?’
    It was Connie’s turn to laugh. ‘Don’t be silly, Maggie. Joe’s not that sort.’
    ‘Don’t yer be so sure,’ said Maggie. ‘All men are the same. They want their bread buttered on both sides. Mind you, I’m not sayin’ Joe would stray. It’s jus’ that I’m not gonna give ’im the chance.’
    The loud rat-tat made the women jump. ‘Who the ’ell can that be?’ Alice said quickly, getting up and leaving the room.
    There was a murmur of voices and then Alice called out, ‘Frank! I want yer.’
    The family hurried out into the passage. ‘It’s all right everybody. It’s Missus Barnes. She’s worried about Bella. You wait ’ere. Me an’ yer dad are goin’ over there.’
    Frank put on his coat and followed Alice out into the street. The turning was deserted and dark. The two of them accompanied Mrs Barnes across the cobbles and knocked loudly on number 23. There