Pure as the Lily by Catherine Cookson

doesn’t matter about that, I can have
    something cold from down below. “ He jerked his head backwards. Don’t you bother, just make yourself comfortable and look after him. I’ll be grateful for that.” He nodded, then ended, “All right?”
    “All right, Mr. Tollett,” she answered.
    Again he nodded while he kept his eyes on her for a moment; then smiling he turned and left the room, and on this the child made a dash from the corner, crying, “Dada! Dada!” But Mary caught him by the hand, saying.
    “Come on now. Let’s clear this lot up, eh? And put them all away, and then we’ll look at your picture books.”
    The two-year-old looked at her. He had never been told before to clear anything up Alice cleared up after him and to show he was having none of it he took his foot and kicked her on the shin. Her instant reaction was the same as if Jimmy had kicked her; her hand went out and she slapped him. There was a short silence in the room because they both had received a shock; the child couldn’t remember ever being slapped, and Mary felt she had done something terrible, not five minutes with the hairn and she had slapped him. But when he began to howl loudly she didn’t pick him. up, she just said, “Come on now, be a good lad. We’ll clear up together.” And to her surprise he did as she bade him. But the clearing-up done, he sat on the floor, looked up at her and stated firmly, “I don’t like you,” and as if she were a child again, fighting with a playmate, she poked her face down to him and said, “It’s mutual. I don’t like you either!” Again there was a short silence; but now it was broken by her laughter. She sat down in a low chair and began to laugh, and she became concerned when she found she couldn’t stop.
    She put her hand over her mouth and when the child came and stood by her side and put his hands on her knees and laughed with her, she found to her great consternation that she was laughing no longer but crying and gasping inside herself with each sob, “Eeh! me ma. Me ma. You’d think she’d done it on purpose.”
    It was ten o’clock that night and they were still arguing, at least Alice was keeping on. She might be in pain, but it wasn’t stopping her tongue, and for the countless time she repeated the same phrase, “If any of them in this street get into that house I’ll never get mjthem out. Don’t think they’ll give up the job when I’m better. I might be here a month, six weeks. You heard what the doctor said, me ankle’s completely broken. I’ve got to stay put, an’ who’s going to keep us I ask you. By the time they get round to getting’ you off the gap and on to the dole again we could starve to death. And that boy, he’s got to be kept on at High School. That’s the main thing. And he’s got to be decently dressed, he’s not going to end up the same way as you have.”
    She glared at Alee.
    “He’s going to have a start in life, and to have a start he needs his School Certificate, and if it’s the last thing I do he’s going to get it.
    “Crofton’s! What do you think you’ll get there?” This was to Mary who was sitting sullenly with her back to the wall facing the bed.
    “Ten shillings a week at most, and then your bus fare to Tyne Dock, and another from there to the Market Place; you won’t be able to do it under eight pence a day. Girl, you’re mad. But you’re not half as mad as him. He’s put you up to this; I knew there was something’ afoot.” She nodded grimly at Alee.
    “Well now, you can both forget about it until I’m on me feet again, when you can continue your high ideas. But in the meantime, you, me lady, will get yourself out of bed in the morning for a change and get down to the shop by seven, and get them their breakfast, and see to the hairn. You can tell Mrs. Turner you’ve got to finish at twelve; that’ll give you time to get back and get them something to eat for one o’clock. You can arrange the meal the