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mes of the year。 especially the things you used to find in the hedges。 in july there were dewberries—but they’re very rare—and the blackberries were getting red enough to eat。 in september there were sloes and hazel…nuts。 the best hazelnuts were always out of reach。 later on there were beech…nuts and crab…apples。 then there were the kind of minor foods that you used to eat when there was nothing better going。 haws—but they’re not much good—and hips； which have a nice sharp taste if you clean the hairs out of them。 angelica is good in early summer； especially when you’re thirsty； and so are the stems of various grasses。 then there’s sorrel； which is good with bread and butter； and pig…nuts； and a kind of wood shamrock which has a sour taste。 even plantain seeds are better than nothing when you’re a long way from home and very hungry。
joe was two years older than myself。 when we were very small mother used to pay katie simmons eighteen pence a week to take us out for walks in the afternoons。 katie’s father worked in the brewery and had fourteen children； so that the family were always on the lookout for odd jobs。 she was only twelve when joe was seven and i was five； and her mental level wasn’t very different from ours。 she used to drag me by the arm and call me ‘baby’； and she had just enough authority over us to prevent us from being run over by dogcarts or chased by bulls； but so far as conversation went we were almost on equal terms。 we used to go for long； trailing kind of walks—always； of course； picking and eating things all the way—down the lane past the allotments； across roper’s meadows； and down to the mill farm； where there was a pool with newts and tiny carp in it （joe and i used to go fishing there when we were a bit older）； and back by the upper binfield road so as to pass the sweet…shop that stood on the edge of the town。 this shop was in such a bad position that anyone who took it went bankrupt； and to my own knowledge it was three times a sweet…shop； once a grocer’s； and once a bicycle…repair shop； but it had a peculiar fascination for children。 even when we had no money； we’d go that way so as to glue our noses against the window。 katie wasn’t in the least above sharing a farthing’s worth of sweets and quarrelling over her share。 you could buy things worth having for a farthing in those days。 most sweets were four ounces a penny； and there was even some stuff called paradise mixture； mostly broken sweets from other bottles； which was six。 then there were farthing everlastings； which were a yard long and couldn’t be finished inside half an hour。 sugar mice and sugar pigs were eight a penny； and so were liquorice pistols； popcorn was a halfpenny for a large bag； and a prize packet which contained several different kinds of sweets； a gold ring； and sometimes a whistle； was a penny。 you don’t see prize packets nowadays。 a whole lot of the kinds of sweets we had in those days have gone out。 there was a kind of flat white sweet with mottoes printed on them； and also a kind of sticky pink stuff in an oval matchwood box with a tiny tin spoon to eat it with； which cost a halfpenny。 both of those have disappeared。 so have caraway fits； and so have chocolate pipes and sugar matches； and even hundreds and thousands you hardly ever see。 hundreds and thousands were a great standby when you’d only a farthing。 and what about penny monsters？ does one ever see a penny monster nowadays？ it was a huge bottle； holding more than a quart of fizzy lemonade； all for a penny。 that’s another thing that the war killed stone dead。
it always seems to be summer when i look back。 i can feel the grass round me as tall as myself； and the heat ing out of the earth。 and the dust in the lane； and the warm greeny light ing through the hazel boughs。 i can see the three of us trailing along； eating stuff out of the hedge； with katie dragging at my arm and saying ‘e on； baby！’ and sometimes yelling ahead to joe； ‘joe！ you e back ‘ere this minute！ you’ll catch it！’ joe was a hefty boy with a big； lumpy sort of head and tremendous calves； the kind of boy who’s always doing something dangerous。 at seven he’d already got into short trousers； with the thick black stockings drawn up over the knee and the great clumping boots that boys had to wear in those days。 i was still in frocks—a kind of holland overall that mother used to make for me。 katie used to wear a dreadful ragged parody of a grown…up dress that descended from sister to sister in her family。 she had a ridiculous great hat with her pigtails hanging down behind it； and a long； draggled skirt which trailed on the ground； and button boots with the heels trodden down。 she was a tiny thing； not much taller than joe； but not bad at ‘minding’ children。 in a family like that a child is ‘minding’ other children about as soon as it’s weaned。 at times she’d try to be grown…up and ladylike； and she had a way of cutting you short with a proverb； which to her mind was something unanswerable。 if you said ‘don’t care’； she’d answer immediately：
‘don’t care was made to care； don’t care was hung； don’t care was put in a pot and boiled till he was done。’
or if you called her names it would be ‘hard words break no bones’； or； when you’d been boasting； ‘pride es before a fall’。 this came very true one day when i was strutting along pretending to be a soldier and fell into a cowpat。 her family lived in a filthy little rat…hole of a place in the slummy street behind the brewery。 the place swarmed with children like a kind of vermin。 the whole family had managed to dodge going to school； which was fairly easy to do in those days； and started running errands and doing other odd jobs as soon as they could walk。 one of the elder brothers got a month for stealing turnips。 she stopped taking us out for walks a year later when joe was eight and getting too tough for a girl to handle。 he’d discovered that in katie’s home they slept five in a bed； and used to tease the life out of her about it。
poor katie！ she had her first baby when she was fifteen。 no one knew who was the father； and probably katie wasn’t too certain herself。 most people believe it was o