We'll meet again

"He says nothing... just looks at you as though he knows it all and you know nothing. And what can you do? All he's done is look. And another thing, I can't stand a child who lies. Walked into a post, my foot!”

Poor Charley, I was sorry for him. However indifferent his parents had been, they were still his family and there did not seem to be anyone else but Aunt Lil, for whom he obviously had little respect or affection. All he had was his little brother, and I was deeply touched by the protective care he bestowed on him. I liked Charley and I hated to see him on bad terms with Nanny Crabtree.

At the same time, I was visiting Mrs. Pardell now and then. She had been a good friend to us at the time of Dorabella's return and I knew she was pleased when I called on her, though her nature prevented her from showing this pleasure.

She was fiercely patriotic and was constantly knitting sweaters and balaclavas for the troops; she also worked a few hours a week with the Red Cross.

She gave me a glass of her home-brewed wine and, as we sat talking, she mentioned the lights which had been seen flashing out to sea.

I said: "Mr. Lewyth thinks they were probably lightning.”

"That could be," she agreed. "And yet again it might not.”

"If it were not, what was it?”

She pressed her lips tightly together and said: "Well, I suppose there could have been something out there... a submarine, or something like that... something out of sight that could get in close... and someone on land could be sending out messages.”

"I suppose that is possible...”

"They're up to all sorts of things nowadays. There's some funny people about. The lights were out your way. You ought to remember that, so you could keep a special guard.”

"But..." I began.

"Well," she went on, "you've got that German girl up there. Can't be too careful these days.”

"You can't mean .

"Well, she's a German. You can't trust any of them. Little Hitlers, the lot of them.”

"Gretchen!" I cried. "Oh, but that's absurd. She hates Hitler and his regime. He has ruined the lives of her family.”

"Well, that's as may be, but once a German always a German.”

I knew from the past that once Mrs. Pardell had made up her mind, there was no changing it. I was deeply disturbed, for I guessed she was not the only one who would be suspicious of Gretchen. Her accent betrayed her and since the flashing lights episode, which as had been observed, had come from Tregarland's way, they would say: That German woman is there.

After that I was aware of people's attitude towards Gretchen when we went into the Poldowns together. Sly looks were cast her way.

This was ridiculous. I could only hope that Gretchen was not aware of it. But I could see there was an inevitability about it. The people wanted to suspect someone, and naturally they looked to Gretchen.

This was confirmed when I made the discovery through Bert Trimmell.

I came across him one day, sitting on a stile near the home farm.

He had been doing some little job Gordon had given him. Both boys liked to work on the farm, particularly among the animals.

He looked mournful, even near to tears. I paused and said: "Hello, Bert. What's wrong?”

He hesitated for a moment and then said: "Nanny Crabtree don't like us anymore. Will she send us away?”

"Good gracious, no. She would never do that. She really does like you very much.”

"She don't like Charley. Charley says she could send us away.”

"She would never do that. We wouldn't let her, and she wouldn't want to either. It's just that she doesn't like fighting and Charley wouldn't tell her why he had done it when she has said he was not to.”

"Charley didn't think he ought to tell her, did he?”

I was used to the phraseology of the boys. They would ask confirmation of facts of which one could know nothing. They were not really asking, I realized. It was just a form of speech.

"To tell her what?" I asked.

"What he was fighting about.”

"Why?”

"'Cos he didn't think it was right, did he?”

"What didn't he think was right?”

"To teller. He said there was some things you had to keep quiet about.”

"Bert, please tell me. I promise that, if it is something which I shouldn't be told, I won't tell it.”

He paused for a moment, then he looked at me squarely.

"All right," he said. "It was that boy, wasn't it. He said there was a traitor in our 'ouse. She was a German spy and she was sending messages to them Germans out there.”

"Yes," I said faintly.

"Well, Charley said it was a lie, didn't he? There wasn't no traitors in our 'ouse, and then he gave him that black eye, didn't 'e?”

"I see. So that was what it was all about.”

"Charley didn't 'arf give him a going over," Bert giggled. "Charley would give him the same over again if he said anything about anybody in our 'ouse.”

"I see. Bert, I think I ought to tell Nanny Crabtree.”

"Charley won't like it. He'll go on at me for telling.”

"I think Charley will like it. It was a good thing he did. I am going to tell Nanny. Then I think she will like him... like him very much.

Charley need not be unhappy anymore.”