beginning.
Throughout the morning Ellie went on to relate, to her mother, everything that had happened since she had last seen her. How she shared a bedroom with Kate and had to make the candle last a week. She told her about the rest of the staff and how some of them were nice to her, whilst, others had never spoken to her. Ellie watched her mother’s face light up when she described the china and the copper bottom pans and how the Master and his family had afternoon tea, served on silver platters.
Maggie took Ellie’s hand in hers and turned it over, looking at the red, palms. ‘You work hard enough, I can see that. Do you think you will ‘take to it’ Ellie?’
‘It’s all right Mam, really . I don’t mind the work but I miss you and the boys more than I thought I would’. Then Ellie remembered. ‘Hey Mam, I nearly forgot’.
‘Forgot what?’
‘Well, what do you think?’
‘Oh Ellie, stop playing ‘silly buggers’. How do I know what you forgot?’
‘My wages Mam. What else did you send me out to work for?’
She handed Maggie a small leather pouch, in which, she had been given her month’s money.
‘There it is. One pound, twelve shillings and sixpence’.
Maggie sat with the pouch in her hand and said, ‘you know Ellie, I don’t want to open it, because if I do, then I’ve done it ’.
‘What do you mean, done it?’
‘I’ve sold you. That’s what it feels like. I’ve sold you’.
Ellie leaned over to her mother and kissed her on the side of her face. ‘Sold me? Not you Mam. You might give me away, but sell me? Never! Come on Mam, take the money. If it wasn’t for your care of me, I wouldn’t have been able to earn it, so please don’t think that way’.
Maggie emptied out the money, onto her pinny, and slowly counted it out. This done, she handed Ellie one shilling and sixpence.
‘That’s for you lass. You’ve done all the work, after all’.
Ellie protested, and her mother insisted, so she put the money into the pouch and dropped it into the empty basket. She had to admit, it was a nice feeling to have a little money of her own.
The boys had heard the talking and laughter and, knowing that Ellie was coming home, came downstairs eager to see her.
Sam was the first one down and threw himself onto his sister, saying, ‘Ellie. Is it really you? You look so posh’. Then turning to Maggie, ‘is our Ellie rich Mam?’
‘Don’t be a fool Sam, of course she’s not rich, she’s a maid’. She was careful to leave out the word ‘scullery’ because, in her way, she was as big a snob as anyone in the upper classes. ‘She’s brought you an apple each but you can’t have it till teatime so don’t even ask. And Sam, stop jumping all over the poor lass’.
Maggie, by way of habit, swung her hand at him which failed to connect. But she had to laugh when Thomas piped up, ‘hey Mam, has our Sam been practising? That’s the last three ‘cracks’ he’s managed to dodge’.
‘How are you Thomas’ asked Ellie, ‘I can see that you’re as cheeky as ever’.
‘ Eh!! You look nice our lass. Have you got a chap then?’
‘No I have not and don’t intend to either’. She felt her face flush.
Thomas quickly glanced at his mother, fearing he may have gone too far. She didn’t like ‘boy talk’ in front of Ellie but he needn't have worried, his mother was busy dividing Ellie’s wages into four equal parts, one for each week until the next of her daughter’s visits.
‘One pile for each week till you come home again’, she informed Ellie, now smiling and obviously not feeling quite so bad about accepting the ‘proceeds’ of her daughter’s labour.
Maggie turned her attention to the piece of lamb. It had already been cooked and some of the meat had been cut into clean slices, which still left a good-size piece.
‘We’ll have the sliced meat with some bread when Aunt Dora gets here.
Throughout the morning Ellie went on to relate, to her mother, everything that had happened since she had last seen her. How she shared a bedroom with Kate and had to make the candle last a week. She told her about the rest of the staff and how some of them were nice to her, whilst, others had never spoken to her. Ellie watched her mother’s face light up when she described the china and the copper bottom pans and how the Master and his family had afternoon tea, served on silver platters.
Maggie took Ellie’s hand in hers and turned it over, looking at the red, palms. ‘You work hard enough, I can see that. Do you think you will ‘take to it’ Ellie?’
‘It’s all right Mam, really . I don’t mind the work but I miss you and the boys more than I thought I would’. Then Ellie remembered. ‘Hey Mam, I nearly forgot’.
‘Forgot what?’
‘Well, what do you think?’
‘Oh Ellie, stop playing ‘silly buggers’. How do I know what you forgot?’
‘My wages Mam. What else did you send me out to work for?’
She handed Maggie a small leather pouch, in which, she had been given her month’s money.
‘There it is. One pound, twelve shillings and sixpence’.
Maggie sat with the pouch in her hand and said, ‘you know Ellie, I don’t want to open it, because if I do, then I’ve done it ’.
‘What do you mean, done it?’
‘I’ve sold you. That’s what it feels like. I’ve sold you’.
Ellie leaned over to her mother and kissed her on the side of her face. ‘Sold me? Not you Mam. You might give me away, but sell me? Never! Come on Mam, take the money. If it wasn’t for your care of me, I wouldn’t have been able to earn it, so please don’t think that way’.
Maggie emptied out the money, onto her pinny, and slowly counted it out. This done, she handed Ellie one shilling and sixpence.
‘That’s for you lass. You’ve done all the work, after all’.
Ellie protested, and her mother insisted, so she put the money into the pouch and dropped it into the empty basket. She had to admit, it was a nice feeling to have a little money of her own.
The boys had heard the talking and laughter and, knowing that Ellie was coming home, came downstairs eager to see her.
Sam was the first one down and threw himself onto his sister, saying, ‘Ellie. Is it really you? You look so posh’. Then turning to Maggie, ‘is our Ellie rich Mam?’
‘Don’t be a fool Sam, of course she’s not rich, she’s a maid’. She was careful to leave out the word ‘scullery’ because, in her way, she was as big a snob as anyone in the upper classes. ‘She’s brought you an apple each but you can’t have it till teatime so don’t even ask. And Sam, stop jumping all over the poor lass’.
Maggie, by way of habit, swung her hand at him which failed to connect. But she had to laugh when Thomas piped up, ‘hey Mam, has our Sam been practising? That’s the last three ‘cracks’ he’s managed to dodge’.
‘How are you Thomas’ asked Ellie, ‘I can see that you’re as cheeky as ever’.
‘ Eh!! You look nice our lass. Have you got a chap then?’
‘No I have not and don’t intend to either’. She felt her face flush.
Thomas quickly glanced at his mother, fearing he may have gone too far. She didn’t like ‘boy talk’ in front of Ellie but he needn't have worried, his mother was busy dividing Ellie’s wages into four equal parts, one for each week until the next of her daughter’s visits.
‘One pile for each week till you come home again’, she informed Ellie, now smiling and obviously not feeling quite so bad about accepting the ‘proceeds’ of her daughter’s labour.
Maggie turned her attention to the piece of lamb. It had already been cooked and some of the meat had been cut into clean slices, which still left a good-size piece.
‘We’ll have the sliced meat with some bread when Aunt Dora gets here.
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