After the service, Mrs Postlethwaite chatted with various members of the congregation, most of whom seemed bemused by what she’d done to the boy yet none of them berated her for it.
Some however said that he looked very sweet, “Much nicer than that scruffy urchin in the church hall on Friday.” one said. “If I thought he’d make such a pretty girl I’d have taken him myself,” she added.
Some of the boys and girls from Billy’s school sauntered over and asked him why he’s wearing a dress. “Mrs Postlethwaite doesn’t like boys.” he mournfully informed them. “…and no one else would take me.”
“Are you a girl now?” one of the girls he knew asked him.
“Of course he’s not a girl!” one of her acquaintances stated. “He’s just a boy in a dress.”