I know several Johns, one of them an Irishman whom I have heard called Johnie by his wife. I would like to call him this myself – it suits him well – but do not quite dare at the moment. He is of medium height, with lovely blue eyes in a young-looking face. His Irish accent is just about detectable, slightly singing, I find it very attractive. He appears open and frank when he looks at one, is very well-mannered which I always appreciate and perhaps a little shy.

His wife tells me that he is much more sociable in other people’s houses than in his own. I do not take this as a reference against him, since this is probably a wide-spread phenomenon. I also hear that he spends virtually all his spare time working in their house, to the exclusion of any outside interest. Again I cannot hold this against him – it is so common, perhaps a generally accepted thing to do in this country. Thirdly he apparently reckons that the father of the family is also its head, in other words, the boss. This seems to be a slightly more tricky problem – not for me, because bearing in mind my origin and the good example set by my mother and my sister, I’m used to submitting myself. I understand, however, that Johnie’s wife has been used as a doormat for years and fear that they will have to sort things out.

Spiritually speaking he calls himself an agnostic, which is another cause of friction with his wife who is a loyal member of the church.

I love to see Johnie in his uniform. He looks incredibly smart, like on one bright Sunday morning when he came to bring us some plums and apples from their garden before going to work. It was a most heartening sight. How can any girl resist him ?