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"Oh, thank you, madam."

"How many are there in your family?"

"I have two brothers older than myself, madam, a sister a year younger, and two brothers younger than her."

"You are also a friend of Miss Netherton's, I understand."

"Yes, madam, I am honoured to be that."

There was a long pause now while Anna had to bear the scrutiny of the bright eyes; and then the lady said, "I am sure you will instruct my grandchild well. One last thing: should at any time you feel that you wish to speak about anything that might be troubling you while you are in this house, then I would wish you to speak to the child's father or to Mr. Barrington and they will convey the matter to me. Thank you, Miss Dagshaw."

As if a bell had rung on the lady's last words, the door opened and a young, plainly dressed woman entered, and with one last look at the seemingly disembodied lady on the bed, Anna rose and said, "Thank you, madam," and dared to add, 'for your kindness. " She did not dip her knee but inclined her head gravely forward. Then she took two steps back from the foot of the bed, before turning away to walk to the open door, by which the nurse was awaiting her.

The nurse smiled at her and she returned the smile; then she was handed over to the maid who had let her in and had been addressed as Wilson.

Wilson smiled at her, and she smiled back, and when the door was opened for her, Anna turned to the woman and said, "Thank you." And Wilson said, "You're welcome." And this exchange brought the waiting upper housemaid's mouth agape.

As Anna followed Betty Carter back to the nursery, she noted that the girl was no longer galloping; she also realised that having left madam's quarters, she had entered another world, and in the main, a hostile one.

Again around the fire that evening she described the events of the day, making much play of her visit to the older Mrs. Brodrick. And she finished by saying, "Well, now, that's me. What's happened to the rest of you?"

"Well," Maria said, 'a number of things have happened; but first of all, I hear that Miss Netherton's not at all well. She's been in bed today, so I think tomorrow morning, before you take your jaunt in the gig, you should slip over and see how she is. "

"Oh yes, I will. Number two could go that way, I should think."

Nathaniel looked at Anna and said, "Yes; why not?" And she smiled back at him, saying, "Why not indeed! I've just to tell my coachman to change his route and that'll be that."

When Oswald pushed her and she almost fell off the crack et they all started to laugh and Nathaniel put in, "Well, he is her own coachman; and he's a comic, if ever I've heard one. But now, Oswald, tell Anna your piece of news. "

Oswald now stuck his thumbs inside the straps of his braces and waggled his fingers, then put his head on one side as he said, "I've been offered a position."

"I thought I knew that. You told us about Mr. Green."

"Oh, that's old stuff. Manager, I could be now, with Olan under me."

"With Mr. Green?"

"No, no. With Mrs. Simpson."

Jimmy, now bending forward in silent laughter, slapped Olan on the knee as he spluttered, "Pies and peas, with or without vinegar."

They were rolling on the mat again until Nathaniel cried, "Give over!

both of you. Behave. And listen. Go on, Oswald. "

"Well, it's like this, Anna," Oswald said.

"You see, we go to this shop now and again near the river front for a pie and pea dinner;

they're always good quality and it's a clean place. There used to be a man serving, elderly. Well, he was the boss and he died. The mother and the daughter did the baking and such and they had to get a new fellow in. Well, he rooked them and so the daughter went up into the shop and got a lass to help her. But there's some ruffians on that front, you know, especially from the ships. Well, 'twas last Wednesday I had told Olan here that he should try servicing round that quarter, and why not try the pies and peas place? So we decided to meet at twelve when the break came, and he brought the tray in with a few odds and ends he had left. The place was a bit full and we had to wait our turn, and it should happen that two drunken fellas started to take liberties with the lass behind the counter, and when one of them leant over and grabbed the front of the lass's frock and in doing so spilt a bowl of peas, she screamed. And so I went to stop him . "

"Went to stop him." Olan laughed.

"That's how he got the lump on his jaw and his black and blue cheek. It was supposed to be from a bread tray falling on him."

"Never!" cried Maria now.

"You didn't tell me that."

"Well, there was no need, Ma. And shut your big mouth." He had turned to his brother, who was grinning at him.

"Anyway, when the shop was clear the mother thanked me, and then she asked me what my job was. And so I told her, and I said this was my brother, and she invited us both into the back room."

Oswald now looked directly at Anna as he said, "The top and the bottom of it is, Anna, she's asked me if I'd manage the shop. And I can have Olan here as an assistant. Before her man died they had been thinking about taking the empty shop next door to turn it into a sit-down place, you know. And she said, later on we could have the rooms upstairs if we wanted them. But I shook my head at that."

There was a nudge into Oswald's side from Olan's elbow as he said,

"Tell her what she offered us."

"Well, me twelve and six a week to begin with, and Olan, ten shillings; a rise every year and our cart fare paid for as long as we travel."

Anna shook her head slowly as she said, "That's wonderful, marvelous.

Are you going to take it? "

"I don't know." Oswald thumbed towards his brother now, saying, "We thought we should put it to Ma and Dada. And, you see, I'm nineteen turned, and although Mr. Green's been very good, he's got two sons and a daughter and I can never see me getting much further than the little Bogs End shop, or Olan either."

Nathaniel smiled now at his sons as he said, "Would you mind if I took a trip and had a look at this money-making pies and peas business?"

"Oh, yes, Dada; I'd like you to see it. And she's a nice woman.

They're both nice. Apparently they've had three men in since her husband died and with

the last one the takings went down by half. "

"How old is the woman?" It was Maria asking now, and her sons looked at each other; then Oswald said, "Much older than you, Ma."

"I'm glad to know there's somebody in the world older than me," said Maria, and this brought forth more laughter; then Olan said, "In her fifties. Not as old as Miss Netherton, but about fifty."

"And the daughter?"

"Oh, she's getting on an' all." Olan was nod ding his head.

"Twenty-something, I would say. Wouldn't you?" He looked at Oswald, and Oswald said, "I should think about twenty-four, and that's getting on for a girl; I mean, a woman."

Maria exchanged a twinkling glance with Nathaniel, then said, "Well, they seem stable women. But I think it's wise what your dada said; he should go and have a look at the place."

Looking closely at Cherry, now, Anna said, "You've been very quiet in all this. Hasn't Mr. Praggett done an Irish jig on the table for you, or amused you in any way? Hasn't he thrown Janet or Lucy downstairs?"

Cherry didn't answer but her father put in quietly, "Cherry witnessed something disturbing coming back tonight. You know the pit lad, Bobby Crane? Well, he was attacked by two other pit men and they threatened what would happen to him if he didn't stop coming here. Apparently he wrote out a notice, well, in large printed letters, for one of the men who was pushing the union and our dear Mr. Praggett found out. And two of his henchmen set about the lad. The sorry thing is one of his assailants happened to be his cousin. And my brave daughter here' he put his arm round Cherry's shoulder' did some screaming, then took up a staff and actually hit one with it. I think they were so astounded at this that they went off, just aiming verbal abuse at her. Anyway, she helped young Bobby here and he's now over in the barn, sleeping I hope, after your mother's ministrations."

"Oh, I am sorry. And oh. Cherry, you were brave to stand up to them .

Poor Bobby. What will he do now?"

"Well, he's not going back to the pit," Cherry said.

"He's made his mind up. He's asked if he can stay in the barn tonight; but he's going into Gateshead or Newcastle tomorrow and he says he'll take anything;

he might even sign on one of the boats. "

As if aiming to lighten the conversation, Ben said, "You didn't tell them about Jimmy's bull, Dada."

Nathaniel looked down on the boy.

"No, I didn't," he said.

"And for once my erudite son has kept his mouth shut. But that points to a very good quality in him, because what he would have to tell would be in praise of his courage, too."

Jimmy was now sitting with his hands between his knees, his head down and his gaze turned towards the blazing fire, and Anna, looking towards him, said, "He's fought a bull?"

"As much as. Well, it should happen from what Farmer Billings told me, and with pride, that he had taken Rickshaw to the market. Rickshaw, by the way, is the name of the bull. I always thought a rickshaw was a Chinese one-man carriage, but the bull was called Rickshaw. I wonder why."

Jimmy's head came up and round, and he muttered, "Because its rump swings," then turned to gaze into the fire again for, amid laughter, his father was continuing, "Well, the herdsman was there and he was supposed to have control of Rickshaw and to take him around the ring.

Well, Rickshaw was in a pen and the herdsman opened the gate and went to lead his charge out. But Rickshaw thought differently. Apparently he must never have liked the herdsman, for he put his head down and it was the herdsman who went out. "

They were all in different stages of laughter now, some smothered, some high, some emitting squeals at their mind pictures as Nathaniel went on, "Then Farmer Billings said there was a scattering of people all about, but Rickshaw didn't charge. He just walked forward, and my son here put his hand out, got hold of the nose piece and spoke to him, then led him quietly into the ring."

Jimmy's head was once again turned towards his father, and he was spluttering now as he said, "Only because I was dead in front of him, Dada, and I thought, if he was going to toss me I wouldn't go so far if I held on to his nose piece."

Nathaniel himself was laughing loudly as he said, "Modesty. Modesty.

You used your wits and, as you've told me before, you liked old Rickshaw, and that you used to talk to him and give him tit bits He liked turnip, didn't he, and crusty bread? "

As the laughter died down Anna wiped her eyes and looked at her young brother.

"We're all laughing Jimmy," she said; 'but that was a wonderful thing to do. You could have been hurt, too. Anyway, tell me, is Mr.

Billings going to put your wage up? "

That'll be the day for celebrations. He'll likely give me a bag of turnips, knowing that we grow our own. "

"Wait and see. Wait and see," his father said, then added, "Now we'll get to our small nightly duties, whether it's washing our face and hands or helping to set the table, and then to bed. But I myself will go to sleep tonight on the very warming thought that I have three very brave children ... Anna did not rise immediately with the others, but sat gazing into the fire for a moment, seeing there the child who needed love so much, sleeping in that garret room. For after all, that's what it was, no matter how nicely furnished. Then one after another she saw those members of the household she had so far met and she reflected, in comparison with her family, how loveless they all were.

She started as her father's hand came on her shoulders and he said,

"Where were you? What were you thinking?"

She looked up at him and said, "I was thinking how lucky we all are."

And he said simply, "Thank you, daughter."

Anna had three more encounters with the mistress before she left for London. The first one left her shaking and lying in the hedge. It was on a Sunday. She had been to see Miss Netherton, who was recovering from a very bad bout of bronchitis and had been ordered by her doctor to take a holiday, preferably in Switzerland.

This she had emphatically rejected at first, but after she was told that one of her lungs was affected, she had reluctantly succumbed to the suggestion. She had told Anna she would be leaving within the month, but in her inimitable way she had added, "I'll be back before I get there because I can't stand foreign places. Foreigners don't know how to make tea."

It was a very cold day, the night frost having remained on the ground, and now it was two o'clock in the afternoon. She had come along the coach road from Miss Netherton's; then after clambering up the bank and crossing the stile, she had walked along the quarry path. There had been a lot of rain before the cold spell had set in and so there were many glassy patches along the way. The rain, too, she saw had brought a fresh fall from the quarry top;

soon, she thought, they would be unable to walk along here, unless the hedge was taken down.

She had just passed the part where the path narrowed to within a few feet of the quarry edge when, to her amazement, she saw in the distance a horse and rider. Towards the far end the path was bordered on one side by Farmer Billings's fields, but it eventually petered out into the moor. Because of the obstacle presented by the stile and the bank, she had never known a rider to use this path.

From this distance she couldn't make out who the rider was, but she noted that the horse had been pulled up. But then, to her utter amazement she saw that the animal was being urged into a gallop and that it was heading straight for her.

The path, although not so narrow here, still had the quarry on one side and no outlet to her right except the bramble hedge. She had no time to think, only to scream, as she fell back on to the hedge as the horse flashed past her, its smell in her nostrils and the face of the woman driving it looking down on her.