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glad to see you'm doin' summat fer yerself at last, ma wench. You 'm earnin' all this extra, an' yo' ay 'ad a bit o' treat fer yerself. My, they'm bostin' boots an all, they'll last a year or two.'
    'Well, they should, they cost enough,' Anna answered briefly, as she took a bread pudding from the oven. 'I'm glad you've come Will, this fillbally is for your Mary. It'll be cool soon...'
    'Don't call it "fillbally" Anna,' her mother admonished. 'You know I don't like it, especially now you're mixing in good company so much...'
    'Aw, cum on Mom, our Anna talks like a lady, an' yer know it.' Will winked his eye at Anna and leaned over to see the bread pudding. 'My, that's a good 'un our Anna, plenty a currants an' all. Call it what yer like, it'll be fillbally cum termorrer. We'm down ter bread an' find it at our 'ouse till Friday.'
    'Everyone all right?' Anna's mother asked.
    'That's what I cum for Mom, our babby's middlin'.' Will's handsome face became grave, his eighteen month old daughter Dorothy was the apple of his eye. 'Mary's at 'er wits end. 'Er's tried all 'er knows, it's a sort of bally gripe.'
    'Glede water doing no good?'
    Will looked embarrassed. 'Well, to tell you the truth, we'm burnin' ling... Mary hasn't been able to get to the pit bank wi' Dottie middlin''
    'Oh, our Will, if you don't take the cake...' Anna was quite annoyed. 'No proper fire and a babby in the house...'
    'Don't say 'babby", Anna,' her mother put in quietly.
    Anna poured some water from the kettle into a basin and pulled a red hot glede from the fire with the tongs. She dropped it into the water and they watched as it hissed and steamed.
    'There, we'll take that with us, it'll last the night,' said Anna. 'I'll just do Dad's Jolly Boy for the morning and I'll be with you.'
    'You'm lucky to 'ave Jolly Boy of a Wednesday,' Will commented, watching as Anna spooned tea and sugar on to a piece of newspaper, and then a spoonful of condensed milk on top. She covered this with more tea and sugar and then rolled it tightly in the newspaper. A ball of Jolly Boy dropped into a billycan of boiling water made a good brew. She started to make another.
    'Here you are our Will, I can't see you go without a Jolly Boy.'
    Will flushed slightly, but smiled as he said diffidently, 'I didn't mean...'
    'I know that our Will, we've plenty to last till Friday.' Anna gave him the screw of newspaper and added, 'I'll get my shawl. If our Dottie's really middlin' we'd better call at Pearce's for a bottle of Infant Preservative. He'll be shut but he'll open up for us.'
    As they left the house Anna took the bread pudding from Will and balanced the glede water on top of it.
    'Now our Will, fill a bucket with gledes and bring with you.'
    'It's kind of yer our Anna, but perhaps Dad won't like it...' Will was hesitant.
    'Dad's not paying for it,' said Anna sharply. She looked at Will, and her tone softened. 'Anyway, if you're quiet he won't hear you.'
    She hurried away down the ginnel and by the time Will caught her up, they were nearing Pearce's shop.
    'I was quiet,' he volunteered, swinging the bucket of coal.
    'Right. We'll put the lot on to get a good fire going, and then I'll take the bucket to the pit bank for some sleck to bank up tonight.' In Will's company, Anna was already beginning to slide into the slight Black Country dialect she used when her mother wasn't around.
    'I'll get it...'
    'No you won't our Will. It ain't a man's job.'
    Will subsided into silence, and looked on as Anna knocked hard on the shop door. Mr. Pearce soon emerged from his living room at the back, and served them quickly, assuring them that Atkinson's Infant Preservative would do the trick all right. As they hurried along the street and turned the corner Will suddenly said, ''Ave I done summat wrong our Anna?'
    Anna snorted. 'What makes you think that?'
    'You'm bein' mighty snotty nosed, I know you...'
    Anna stopped dead in her tracks and turned a furious face towards him. 'Alright our Will, I'm