The boys in the village have more or less stopped taunting and teasing him and seemingly all of Mrs Postlethwaite’s acquaintances no longer cast poor Billy looks of bemusement and curiosity… so far as the towns-folk are concerned, it seems that young Billy is a girl, but only an honorary one. At school, both the boys and girls get together twice a week to practice country dancing, but none of the boys want to dance with Billy because boys don’t dance with boys, even though Billy now looks every bit like the other girls. His shoulder length hair is often curled and bouncy and even his mannerisms; the way he runs, skips and expresses joy, surprise or excitement are evidently more girlish than boyish.
The Petticoat & the Evacuee Scene 24
