“I’m expected to clothe him too!” Mrs Postlethwaite blurts. “Have you any idea how expensive decent clothes are these days?”

The billeting officer considers taking the boy himself, but with four offspring of his own and two evacuees already, he simply doesn’t have the space. He reminds himself that his role is to allocate ‘all’ of the children and with one host left and one unallocated child, he continues to press the seemingly immovable Mrs Postlethwaite. He reminds her about the weekly allowance she’ll receive for taking one evacuee and points out that taking two will double the allowance, “…and if you’re clothing them too, there’s an additional allowance to cover any expenses.” he informs her. “Look at him… a poor little lamb… there’s not a hint malice in his eyes… and I’m sure he’ll try his very best to not get under your feet.”