CATHERINE COOKSON

Chap 5

Cried, 'well now! I must be off, cows can tell the time better than me.'

'Have you still got Randy?‘

He turned to Annie, saying as he made for the door, ‘Oh yes, yes; but he's so damned lazy, he falls asleep with his head in their ribs and his slobbers almost dripping into the milk. But young Bill and Ally are good lads, they'll come on with the years. Oh, by the way.‘ He turned and directed the gaze now towards William, saying,' I forgot to tell you, you'll never guess who applied to me for a job. He did it on the quiet like, on the side- he'd have to of course- big McGrath's youngest, steve, the fourteen-year-old you know. He waylaid me one night last week and asked if there would by any chance. I had to laugh at him. I said, "Does your da know you're asking to be set on?" But he only shook his head. And then i said to him soberly like, "it's no use, lad. I'd set you on the morrow because you look strong and fit, but you know what would happen; your da would come after you and haul you out. You are all in the pit, and for good."

'And you know what he answered to that?' He looked from one to the other now. 'He just said, "Not me, not me for good, I'm getting out, " and turned on his heels. It's funny, that young ‘un isn't like any of the others, he's not like a McGrath at all; not as we know McGrath's, eh, William?'

'All McGraths are the same beneath the skin, Simon. Never trust a McGrath.'

'Perhaps you're right. Keep rested now.' He nodded towards the old man, and William said, 'Aye. Aye.'

'Ta-rah for now,' he said, his glance taking them all in, then went out, closing the door behind him.

Annie was the first to move. She went towards the open fireplace where the kale pot was hanging from a spit and, reaching up to the mantelpiece above it, she took down a wooden tea caddy and placed the sovereign gentle in the bottoms of it; then replacing the caddy, she turned and, looking at Tilly, said, 'I thought i told you to go for water.'

'You only said that to get me out of the room, Gran; the butt's half full outside, you know it is. What's it you don't want to hear?'

'Now don't you be perky, miss.'

'i'm not being perky, gran; Tilly walked towards the table, then round it to the side that faced the fire and her grandmother who was now opposite to her, and her grandfather who lay in the bed to the left of her, and looking from one to the other, she said, 'you're always tellin' me I'm coming up sixteen and that i should act like a young woman, yet there's things you keep from me, an' always have done. Like the sovereign up there that Simon brings every month. And did you know he was gona be married? Did it cone as big a surprise to you as you let on it was?'

'Of course it was a surprise to me, an' to your grandma there.' Annie's voice was harsh now. 'it's the first breath of it we've heard. We never knew he was even courtin', did we, William?' She turned and looked towards the bed, and William shook his head slowly and looked at Tilly as he said, 'No, girl, it was news to us. Now if it had been Rose Benton, or that Fanny Hutchinson, yes, her who's been after him for years, I could have understood it, but I've never heard of this one. What did he say her name was?'

'Mary Forster.'

'They both looked from under their lids at Tilly, and after a moment Annie, too, said, 'Mary Forster.' Then shaking her head, she added, 'Never heard one of any such name.'

'Well, that's explained that!' The tone of Tilly's voice was such that her grandparents gaped at her in surprise as she went on, 'But about the other thing.' She nodded her head towards the tea caddy.' And don't tell me again that Simon's paying back some money he's owin' you. I could never imagine you havin' that much to lend him that it will take all those years for him to clear his dept, so what's it all about? I'm entitled to know. . . '

William now began to cough, a racking tormented cough, and Annie, going to him quickly, brought him up on the pillows and thumped his back and as she was doing it she turned her head towards Tilly and cried, ‘see what your niggling plastering's done! It's days since he had a turn. Scald some honey and bring it here, sharp . . . You an' entitled to know. Huh!‘

Tilly, her whole attitude changed now, ran towards an oak dresser at the far end of the room and, taking a jar from it, she quickly returned to the table and scooped out two spoonfuls of honey into a mug; she then went to the fire and after digging quickly into the kale pot of simmering water she stirred the contents with a small wooden spoon, before going to bed and handling the mug to her grandmother.

head towards Tilly and cried, ‘see what your niggling plastering's done! It's days since he had a turn. Scald some honey and bring it here, sharp . . . You an' entitled to know. Huh!‘

Tilly, her whole attitude changed now, ran towards an oak dresser at the far end of the room and, taking a jar from it, she quickly returned to the table and scooped out two spoonfuls of honey into a mug; she then went to the fire and after digging quickly into the kale pot of simmering water she stirred the contents with a small wooden spoon, before going to bed