"FRANCESCA BERTINI...Francesca Bertini...and how are you today ?" was the greeting my mother used to get from an Italian neighbour as she got home from school. My mother always wondered how this name had been conjured-up by this kind and elderly woman. My mother's name was "BERTHE", so the "BERTINI" part was understandable, but why "FRANCESCA"?...And why did i think of this today ? as i sat on the number 3 bus, coming home from town this morning. My mother has been "gone" almost 3 years now, and this is the first time, in all that time, that this little tale has come to mind. "Francesca Bertini, Francesca Bertini." What happened to that little schoolgirl from Alexandria?