Pure as the Lily Read Free Page A

that their time together would be long for she was real bonny, and blossoming further every day. Her skin was pure milk and roses and those eyes of hers, not usual; nobody on his side, or on Alice’s, had green eyes. She had likely inherited them from far back. They were a deep clear green, like looking down through water, and when they were soft and moist, as they were now, and shaded by her long lashes, they did something to him, brought a restriction under his ribs. His love for her was like a pain, it gnawed at him at times, times when he dreaded anything bad would happen to her. She was as tall as him now and still growing. Some day, and not far off, she’d be a spanker, a breathtaking spanker, and she was worth somebody better than the fellows around the doors, for who were around the doors?
    There were fifty houses on their side of the street and only three men out of that lot in full-time work. The few lads that were at work were apprenticed and as soon as they finished their time they’d be out on their backsides. Of course, that didn’t stop them from getting married. Some of them married while they were still serving their time and had a couple of baims afore they were twenty. But that wouldn’t happen to Mary; no, by God, not if he knew it. He didn’t know how he was going to do it but he was going to get her away from the street and from Mrs. Turner’s and her fourpence an hour; if it was only into a shop, a good class shop. It would be a bit of prestige anyway.
    He had been going down to the reading room at the Institute every morning lately looking up the jobs, not for himself because that was hopeless, they didn’t advertise for fitters in the newspapers, but something for her, for if he didn’t do something for her nobody else would. Her mother wouldn’t. The situation as it was just suited her;
    Mary coming home in the afternoon to get the tea and see everything was ready for Master Jimmy coming in, and then doing the ironing and all the odd jobs that she left her while she went out earning.

    Earning! It used to be two hours in the morning at the shop and two hours in the afternoon, but now she was scarcely away from it.
    “Da! Will you have another sup tea?”
    “No, hinny, thanks. Look, it’s getting on.” He nodded towards the deepening light.
    “I think we’d better be making a move.” He turned round on the upturned bucket, then pushed his father in the shoulder with his fist, saying jocularly now, “Come on you, Poet Laureate!” And at this they all laughed.
    As they dampened down the fire and gathered up their things, Peter said, “Aye, you never know.
    There’s many a true word spoke in joke.
    Just you wait, there’s time enough yet. I’ll have the laugh on this town when I appear in T. P. an’
    Cassell’s Weekly. Aye, an’ John 0’ London’s. “
    “Evenin’ dress or morning suit, Granda?”
    “Listen to her! Listen to her!” cried Peter, and father and son now looked at Mary, joined in this moment in their admiration for her, and Peter said, “There, you’re so bloomin’ sharp you’ll be cutting yourself! Punch for you, me girl!” Then suddenly holding her face tightly between his two hands, he repeated, “Evenin’ dress or morning suit? and out with it as quick as knife I tell you it’s good enough for i9
    Punch. Aw, me love. “ He bent forward swiftly and kissed her on the side of her mouth, and she hugged him for a moment before he turned from her, blinking rapidly and crying, “ Where the devil’s it is it was I put it? “
    “What Granda?”
    The pipe, me pipe. “
    “Asking the road you know.” Alec’s voice was a mumble as he walked out of the door and along the narrow winding path between the partly stripped stumps of sprouts and cabbages.
    Back in the hut Mary pressed threepence into her gran da hand, and he held on to hers as he said, “Ta, me hairn. Ta. I’ll pay you back, I will. Somehow, some day I’ll pay you back.” His head was