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it into the embers as if in an effort to snap it in two.
    Mary slowly took off her wet things, walked past her mother and went into her bedroom. Standing at the foot of the bed she gripped the iron rail and rocked herself over it backwards and forwards. Her mother knew that she knew. Well, now perhaps she’d be frightened and come to her senses. And another good thing could come out of it. She wouldn’t lift a hand to her any more, for if she did she would say to her, You do, just you do,” and that would be enough. Funny how things turned out.

Chapter Three
    it had snowed heavily on and off for a week, thawed, frozen, then snowed again; then in the night a fall of sleet followed by frost had turned the town into, as Alee put it, a skating rink.
    He was waiting for Mary at the corner of Hurworth Place. Not that he was afraid she couldn’t make her way home, because there was nothing she liked more than a good slide she was still as bad as the hairns but he was waiting for her because he had some news concerning what, he considered, might give her a better start in life.
    When she came up to him she exclaimed, “Da! what you doing here? Man, you look frozen. Anything wrong?”
    “No, no, nothin’ wrong; I’ve just got a bit of news for you. Look, come on to your grannie’s. I’m not tellin’ you here, it’s enough to cut the lugs off you.”
    “Serves you right; you shouldn’t have been standing about. Couldn’t it have kept?” She caught hold of his arm and as she clutched the thread worn overcoat she pressed nearer to him and said, You might be getting a new coat, at least a new second-hand one, Mr. Turner’s; she’s been sorting his wardrobe out, she says he’s ready for a new one. He’s got two already and they’re both good, but if he gets another she’ll likely give me number three. She’s not bad, although she’s stingy with the tea. “ She jerked his arm towards her, and he turned his head and laughed at her, “ Aye, well, tell her to get a move on else I’ll be stiff. “
    “Where have you been the day?” she asked.
    “Shields.”
    “All the way down there in this!” She paused.
    “Anything doing?”
    Huh! “ He laughed softly. You kiddin’?”
    “Well, why did you go? Did you take the tram?”
    No, I felt like a walk. “
    “A walk into Shields in this! How far did you go?”
    The Market Place, Crofton’s. Now look. “ He dug his elbow into her side.
    “I’m not goin’ to tell you any more till we get inside, me breath’s cutting’ me throat.” When they pushed open the back door of 7 Bingley Street, Grandma Mary Walton turned from the table where she had her hands in an earthenware bowl of flour and ex claimed in a high excited voice,
    “Well! Look what the wind’s blown in. Come in. Come in, and close the door else I won’t have a hair left on me legs.”
    Banging the door behind them, they went in laughing and, as Mary had noticed before, age seemed to drop away from her da when he was in his own home, at least the home of his youth, with his own ma and da. Her da was thirty-six and that wasn’t really old, yet he appeared old to her, except like now when blowing on his hands he stood near his mother and said, What you up to? Tea cakes? “
    “No, nothin’ so fancy, bread; but if you’re staying long enough I’ll knock you up a bit of stottie cake.”
    “I’ll stay long enough, won’t we, Mary?”
    Tes, Gran. Where’s Granda? “
    “Listen.” Grandma Walton looked towards the wall.
    “There’s your answer.”
    They both looked and listened, and there came to them a snort, followed by a deep rattling snore.
    “Go and wake him up.” She nodded in Mary’s direction, and Mary said, “Aw, let him lie for a minute.” Then turning to her father, she demanded “Well, come on, out with it!
    What have you got to surprise me with? “

    Alee now took his overcoat off, pulled a paper from his inside pocket and, spreading it on the table, pointed to an advert