Jack's medication and she speaks up asking what to do. The staff women ignore her. This angers Maggie, and she yells at them for not dealing with the problem. Henry stays behind for a moment to applaud Maggie's outburst. Then, Miss Appleyard confronts Maggie. Maggie does not apologize or show remorse, she still stands up for herself. Miss Appleyard is pleased in a way at how honest Maggie is and that she questions things. This is new for the home, for most girls just go along with things as they are. The two form a bit of an alliance with one another. A bunch of the girls come back out wondering what sort of punishment Maggie has gotten. She explains that she likes Miss Appleyard and that they want to make the world a better place. The other girls don't understand, most cannot read or write and never have thought or dreamt. Maggie tries to encourage them. ("Get Out There!") Back at St. Michael's the boys have just finished evening prayers when the staff has an announcement. Two more boys have passed their swimming proficiency exam and another boy has received a bronze medallion. No boy in the past six years has left the home without being able to swim. It is now wash time and the boys are all assembled and bowls of water prepared. The boys sing about water being everywhere, for washing for drinking for swimming. ("Water Water") Jack is pretty afraid of the whole scene. The Cadogan family is sitting around. It has been a week since the new children have come. A post comes from the War Office. Lord Cadogan must go to London to see the War Minister. The situation seems badthey want more munitions and gunpowder. The heads of the two schools arrive to give a briefing on the new children. The first exhibition swim of the year is coming up, and Henry is asked to lead the boys in a swim across Lake Windermere. The girls have all gotten together, and it is obvious that Maggie has become quite popular. She is the confidant of many of the girls. Just then, the boys arrive for country dancing. Agnes reunites with Jack for the first time and finds out how terrified he is that they are trying to teach him to swim. She tries to encourage him that he can do it. When Miss Marchant, the head mistress scolds them for not dancing and makes a remark about Jack not swimming, Agnes lashes out and sticks up for her brother. She is lead away by Miss Marchant and Maggie approaches Jack as Henry watches from a distance. Maggie convinces Jack to let her teach him to swim. They will meet every morning before breakfast and be back by roll call. Henry hears the plan and approaches asking if he might join in. Jack runs off to go dance, and Maggie and Henry are left alone for a moment. They catch up, then Henry rushes off to go practice swimming; he has never swam across the lake before. Maggie spends a moment alone reflecting on the help she is giving and the changes she has been making. ("Whichever Way We Go") Dick and Joss and a few other troublemakers have gathered to trade cigarettes and to come up with some new schemes to make money. Meanwhile, the boys are gathered by the lake for their final swim lesson before the exhibition. ACT TWO The boys have all been assembled and Lord Cadogan addresses them. He explains about the war that has broken out in Europe and that as of midnight that night, August 4, England has declared war on Germany. The girls are assembled as well and being spoken to about the same subject. They are being told that all efforts now will be wartime efforts and that they must do their part supporting the men who are fighting and the people who lose loved ones in war. They are supposed to have a sock knitting class every night now. This puts Maggie over the edge, and she shouts out and insists they must really support the war by learning to be nurses and truly help the troops. All the girls jump up and applaud and support her while the staff women have a heated argument about what to do. Activities will be changed for the boys too-there will be serious cut backs and they will be training for war. The one thing that is agreed upon is that the swimming exhibition will still happen and the money raised will go to the war efforts.
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