‘Frank, you mustn’t kiss me good-night.’

‘Only in the nicest, most fraternal kind of way.’

‘No, not at all. Remember I’ve got to live here. Two of the girls are from my old training battalion and one of them knows me well enough to know that I’ve only got one brother and that he’s overseas. Promise me.’

‘We’ll compromise. If I can’t kiss you fraternally in front of the A.T.S. hotel, I’ll kiss you here and properly.’

He pulled her into the entrance of a small shop they happened to be passing, and kissed her. She allowed him to, without resisting or responding, but her voice, when he had released her, was low in tone.

‘Can I go now?’

‘Yes. I’ll walk you very decorously to the front door, and we can shake hands – unless you would prefer us to exchange salutes.’

She laughed, her voice returning to its normal timbre. ‘You idiot, Frank!’

He said: ‘Yes, I think the salutes might be a little on the ostentatious side.’