"Syd’s face lit with enthusiasm and he stationed himself in front of her. ‘Well, he said ‘you know how two women in a barney always grab each other’s hair, don’t yer? Well, take a hold of my hair.’ He bent his head forward and Mae grasped his orangy curls. Syd then clutched her wrist and took her hair in his other hand, which caused Mae to instinctively grab his waist – the other people in the club were all attention once more, I noticed.

I watched Syd’s demonstration with interest, and it looked very clever – but I didn’t learn a thing. It was all too quick; ending with no one holing anyone’s hair any more, and Mae in a helpless grip! Then Syd released his hold. ‘See, it’s easy,’ he said. Mae laughed, and called him a bastard as she rubbed her shoulder. Syd wasn’t happy, however, until she’d done the same thing to him.

She was a quick learner, I must say! Then, smoothing her skirt again, she said decisively, ‘Right! I gotta go!’ At that moment, two sets of heavy footsteps could be heard coming along the upstairs passage."