The Complete Pratt by David Nobbs

hill, and tumbled breathlessly back into the farm fields.
    They could hear the music of Reginald Porter-Brown at the theatre organ.
    In the morning, Henry asked Auntie Kate if there was anything he could get at the Post Office and General Store. He needed an excuse to see Simon.
    He stood in the cool interior of the shop, gazing longingly at the almost empty bottles of sweets. He’d used up his ration. He wanted two stamps, a packet of snap vacuum jar closers, some Eiffel Tower lemonade crystals, Gibbs Dentifrice (No Black Out for Teeth with Gibbs Dentifrice) and he could try for Reckitt’s Blue.
    Mrs Eckington served him and he asked for Simon. Simon came into the shop and hissed, ‘Come outside.’
    They went outside.
    ‘What’s up?’ said Henry.
    ‘I don’t go around wi’ evacuees,’ said Simon.
    ‘I’m not an evacuee,’ shouted Henry.
    ‘It’s Patrick,’ whispered Simon, and disappeared back into the shop.
    School began again. The nit lady came. Pam Yardley had nits. Her brown hair was shorn and she was sent to Coventry and Henry didn’t dare speak to her and Simon came up to him in the playground, and Henry knew that Simon was only pretending not to be his friend because he was frightened of Patrick, so he thought everything might be all right now he wasn’t seeing Pam Yardley any more, but suddenly Simon’s face was twisted into hatred, and he shouted, ‘Pam Yardley’s got nits. Pam Yardley’s got nits.’
    On account of his divided loyalties, Henry had ended up without a friend in the school. His little group of six had changed slightly. They had left Cyril Orris behind, and caught up with Lorna Arrow. Jane Lugg, Pam Yardley and Simon refused to speak to him at all. Henry Dinsdale was distant. Lorna Arrow, fair, tall, thin and toothy, tried to be friendly once on the way home, but he spurned her offer. ‘It’s nowt personal,’ he said kindly, ‘but girls are more bother than they’re worth.’
    Montgomery defeated Rommel at El Alamein. There was no news of Ezra. His son, Henry, buried himself in his studies and his reading. He listened to his good friend, the wireless. He heard an all-star concert with Naughton and Gold, and Rawicz and Landauer, Music Hall with Elsie and Doris Waters, Randolph Sutton and Magda Kun. On ‘Children’s Hour’ there was ‘Stuff and Nonsense’, fun fare on the air concocted by Muriel Levy, with Doris Gambell, Violet Carson, Wilfred Pickles, Muriel Levy and Nan. But, without friends, there was no fun in his heart any more.
    Christmas drew near. One day, as he reached the end of the village on his way home, he found his path blocked by Simon and Patrick Eckington, Freddie Carter and Colin Lugg. They took him to Freddie Carter’s.
    Colin Lugg and Patrick Eckington grabbed him, and twisted his arms. Colin Lugg’s breath smelt of sick and Patrick Eckington’s breath smelt of freckles. They forced him to the lavatory, and thrust his head deep into the bowl, which was the creation of Cobbold and Sons, of Etruria. But Cobbold and Sons could not help him now.
    The bowl was dark and smelt vaguely fetid. They held his head there until each boy had flushed the cistern, which took a long time to fill.
    They let him go then, without a word. Simon Eckington couldn’t look him in the eye.
    At the Christmas carol service, Belinda Boyce-Uppingham sang a solo of ‘Gloria in Excelsis Deo’ quite exquisitely. Henry fancied that she was inspired by the desire to humiliate him.
    He refused to go to the children’s party in the Parish Hall. By all accounts he missed a treat. Coon songs were given by Mr Ballard, who also proved his ability with the banjo.
    In April, news came that Ezra had been injured. He was on a troop ship, which would dock at Plymouth.
    Ada set off to meet him. Henry wanted to accompany her, but was told that this was a crisis, not a treat. Nobody could be sure how badly Ezra had been injured.
    On Troutwick Station, windswept among the high hills, Ada said,