‘I DON’T believe it,’ said Marjorie, stepping backwards and accidentally kicking Sally on the ankle. She looked at Ruby as if she was something weird and slightly disturbing from the Museum – an Egyptian mummy, Ruby thought, or one of those huge horned beetles in the insect display.

‘Ouch,’ said Sally, rubbing her ankle. ‘You don’t believe what?’

‘Ruby just told me she’s leaving school at the end of next week,’ Marjorie answered, looking important because she was first with the news.

‘No!’ exclaimed Violet. ‘Oh, how awful!’

‘Do say it’s not true, Ruby!’ said Thelma.

‘It is true,’ Ruby answered. Watching her friends’ horrified expressions, she felt almost heroic. ‘I have to leave school because we can’t afford it. We have to sell our house, too. Dad’s business has gone bankrupt.’

‘So that’s what Brenda told Lizzie,’ said Sally. ‘I mean –’ She stopped, looking embarrassed.

‘But we’ll miss you so much, Ruby Q!’ Marjorie said. ‘Can’t someone else pay for you to stay here? Don’t you have rich grandparents, or a rich auntie or something?’

‘There isn’t anyone else. My gran isn’t rich, and she’s really old, and my only auntie is Aunt Vera, my cousin May’s mother. May was at my party, remember? They live in the country, and they’re as poor as church mice, Mother says.’

‘What’s happening?’ Brenda asked, joining the little group outside the classroom.

‘Poor Ruby Q has to leave school,’ Thelma said, making a sad mouth.

‘I knew it,’ Brenda said. ‘Her father’s business has gone broke. Mama told me about it two days ago, but I couldn’t say anything.’

‘You are such a fibber, Brenda,’ Ruby said. ‘Of course you said something. You told Lizzie, didn’t you? And then she wrote that horrid note to Sally, and the whole class heard it.’

‘I meant I couldn’t say anything to you,’ Brenda said, looking flustered. ‘Anyway, it doesn’t matter now. Mama said it was bound to happen, because your father always spent money like water. My father tried to tell him –’

Ruby felt a great wave of fury. But then, to her relief, the bell ringing for assembly stopped Brenda in her tracks.

All the girls in Ruby’s class were especially friendly to her all day. Sally kept giving her sorrowful looks. Lizzie offered to lend Ruby her new pencil sharpener. One of the new girls, Betsy Hargraves, gave her a piece of cake with lemon icing at recess.

It’s as if I’ve got some sort of disease, Ruby realised, as she made her way home in the afternoon. They’re being nice to me because they feel sorry for me, but also because they think that if they’re nice to me they won’t catch what I’ve got.

She wondered how Hilary had felt when she was told that she’d have to leave this school and go to another one. Maybe it would have been easier not to come back from the holidays – just to vanish, as Hilary had done. She wondered which state school Hilary had gone to. Nobody knew. Nobody talked about Hilary anymore.

Then Ruby had another thought, a nicer one this time. If she had to go to a state school, why couldn’t she go to the same school as Hilary? That wouldn’t be so bad! It might even be fun. She’d ask Dad to drive her around to Hilary’s house, and then she could find out which school she was going to. It would be good to see Hilary again. She would understand what Ruby was going through.

A voice cut across her thoughts. ‘Hello, Ruby!’ It was Brenda. ‘Can I walk with you?’

‘If you want to.’

Brenda linked arms with Ruby. ‘It’s just awful, what’s happened, isn’t it?’ she said. ‘I’m so glad Daddy will be all right – I mean, he hasn’t gone broke like your father. I suppose it’s because Uncle Harry owns the company, and Daddy just works for him, so he’s not responsible for paying back any money, thank goodness. Anyway, Daddy’s found another job already. Isn’t that marvellous?’

‘I’m glad. You’re lucky.’

‘Oh yes, Mama says we’re very lucky. She also asked me to ask you something.’ She blinked at Ruby through her spectacles. ‘I hope you won’t be offended, but, well, when you leave school, Mama wondered if we could have your old school uniforms. New uniforms are awfully expensive, Mama says, especially blazers, and these days we have to economise. Your uniforms would fit me, and they could last me for at least another year, because you’re taller than me. You won’t be needing them anymore, will you?’ She giggled. ‘Mama says that you’re a nice clean little girl, so she wouldn’t be worried about them being dirty or, well, having bugs in them, or anything like that.’

‘What?’ Ruby stared at her, horrified.

Brenda tightened her hold on Ruby’s arm. ‘Oh, we’d pay you for them. Not as much as for new ones, of course, but Mama wouldn’t hear of just taking them.’

‘Brenda, listen to me,’ said Ruby. ‘I promise you, I will never ever sell you my school uniforms. I’d rather burn them.’ And she broke away from Brenda and began to run. She didn’t stop running until she reached the end of the drive and heard the familiar cry: ‘Ruby Quinlan! Where are your gloves?’

As she opened the front door, Ruby nearly ran straight into two men leaving the house. She was shocked to see that one of them was a policeman in uniform. She rushed inside and found Dad and Mother in the sitting room. Mother was smoking, which was something she hardly ever did, and her eyes looked puffy. Had she been crying? Four empty cups, and an ashtray full of cigarette butts, were on the low table in front of the sofa. The visitors must have been here for a while.

‘Why was the policeman here?’ Ruby asked. Then she had a horrible thought. ‘Oh my hat, we haven’t been robbed, have we?’

‘No, nothing like that,’ said Dad. His face was very pale, but he spoke quite steadily. ‘It’s just something to do with the business. They had to ask me some questions. Nothing that need concern you, sweetheart.’

‘Oh, good. I thought something else awful might have happened.’ She sat down in an easy chair, facing the sofa. ‘I’ve decided,’ she said, ‘that it would be quite good – very good – if I could go to the same school as Hilary Mitchell. I just need to find out which one it is. It would be so much nicer if I could go to a school where I know someone, wouldn’t it? And Hilary’s my friend.’

‘Sweetheart, the truth is –’

‘Ruby, I’m afraid –’

Dad and Mother spoke at the same time. Looking at their faces, so full of anxiety and concern, Ruby’s heart plummeted. ‘You’ve already decided where I’ll be going,’ she said. ‘Haven’t you?’

‘Yes, Ruby, we have,’ replied her mother. ‘But we only decided today.’

‘We had a letter this morning from your Aunt Vera,’ Dad said. ‘We – your mother and I – had written to her and your Uncle James, and we were waiting for their response. We needed to be sure of everything before we spoke to you.’

Dad sounded so serious and formal that Ruby’s heart sank even further.

‘On the twenty-seventh of March,’ Dad continued, ‘you and your mother will go to stay with the Camerons on their farm at Eden Valley. They have very kindly agreed to help us out while we are in this . . . trouble.’

‘Mother and me? But, Dad, what about you? Where are you going?’ Ruby could feel tears starting. ‘I don’t want to go anywhere if you aren’t coming too!’

Dad put his hand on hers. ‘I’ll stay here until the house is sold, and then I’ll look for a job. I’ll find somewhere to live, either here or interstate.’

‘But what if you don’t find a job?’

Ruby saw her parents exchange glances. ‘You mustn’t worry about me,’ Dad said, using his deliberately cheerful voice. ‘The important thing is that you and your mother have a place to go to. As long as I know that you two are safe and well looked after, I can put up with anything.’

There was a lengthy silence.

‘How long will we have to stay with Aunt Vera?’ Ruby asked, shakily.

‘Not for very long, sweetheart. But while you are there, you will go to the local school. You’ll be in the same class as your cousin May.’