Pure as the Lily (7 page)

“Don’t you worry. Da.” She slanted her eyes up to him.

“I’m on to a good thing here; it’s a gold mine, or a silver one. Look.” She pulled from her pocket another half-crown.

“Mr. Tollett gave it to me for myself. He emphasized that. He said, “ Now that’s for yourself. “ Alee smiled at her as he said, “ Well, that was kind of him. “ As she looked back into his face the mischievous smile left her own and she said, “He is kind, Da, he’s a nice man.”

They stared at each other and then he nodded slowly.

“Aye, Ben’s all right,” then he asked, “Do you like it there?”

“Yes, Da. Aw yes. It’s lovely; it isn’t like work at all. The way the place’s set out it’s grand. Have you seen it?”

“No, no, I haven’t seen it, lass. What’s it like? Tell us.” So she proceeded to tell him, and he gazed at her not taking in all she was saying but thinking, It’ll be God’s pity if she takes up with housework for good; she’s worth something better, oh aye, something better than that.

It became the regular procedure that Alice would instruct Mary what she was to cook for Ben and how she was to cook it, and Mary would listen dutifully and say, “Yes, Ma. Yes, Ma,” knowing that at half past twelve she would hurry panting through the backyard and up the stairs, to warm up, or 5l finish, the dinner she had prepared yesterday, a dinner of her own concocting.

She would talk to the child. Joke with him, make him laugh. She had given new names to all his toys.

His cloth doll she called Ching Lang Lou. What did it matter that it was a negro with black wool curls, they had great fun with Ching Lang Lou. Then, the meal ready and set in the dining-room, not the kitchen, she would call Ben up, while she herself would take his place in the shop.

One day he had said to her, “It’s a pity we can’t sit down together, Mary,” and she had answered, “Oh, that’s all right, Mr. Tollett,” then added, “I eat more when I’m on me own’ ; and at this they had laughed loudly as if at a great joke, and shaking his head while he gazed at her, he had said, “Aw Mary, Mary.”

She got on well with Mr. Tollett. But it was odd how little they saw of each other; they were just like that saying, ships that pass in the night. He was already in the shop when she arrived in the morning, and they spoke to each other for only a few moments when she took his place so that he could have his meals. Very often when she took down his three o’clock cup of tea she just left it in the storeroom and tapped on the door, and he would call to her, “Thanks. Thanks, Mary.” The only time she ate with him was on a Wednesday when he had his half day.

One night, as she was leaving, she did say to him, You’re busy enough to have an assistant,” to which he replied, I did have one, but he assisted himself, Mary, a little too much.”

“Aw, like that was it?”

Tes, it was like that. “

‘you can never trust people. “

“Yes, that’s a fact, you can never trust people, Mary.”

She had every opportunity of helping herself from the well-stocked cupboard upstairs, and a half-dozen spoonfuls of tea wouldn’t have been missed from the caddy each day, but she wouldn’t do that, not to Mr. Tollett. Why, the basket of groceries he had given her ma every Friday night and which he still continued to give her couldn’t be bought for fifteen shillings! No, she wouldn’t take a grain of salt belonging to Mr.

Tollett.

She was happy as she had never been happy before, because she now had things to give, money to give to her da and their Jimmy, the price of an ounce of baccy to her gran da and a quarter of bullets for her grandma. But she didn’t pay for the bullets because, when she offered Mr. Tollett the money for them, he wouldn’t take it, even though she said to him, “They’re not for me, so if you don’t take it then I’ll have to go some place else next week to buy them.”

“Who are they for then?” he had asked.

“Your mother?”

“No.” Her no had been flat-sounding; but her voice had risen on, The grannie! she loves bullets. “

“Well, give them to your grannie with my compliments.”

“Oh thanks, I will. But mind, next week you’ll have to take the money.” Oh, Mr. Tollett was nice. She hoped her ma’s leg stayed as it was for months. Not that she wished her any harm, only, as things were, life was wonderful.

And then she got the St. Valentine’s card.

“You’ve got a letter,” Alice said, staring at her very hard as she went into the bedroom to make her daily report, which was anything but accurate.

“A letter! Me? Who from?”

“That’s what I’d like to know. You carrying on with a lad?” The? a lad! “ Mary’s face stretched; her tone held deep indignation as if she had never thought about having a lad in her life.

“No. You know I haven’t got a lad. What time have I got for a lad, from early morning till late at night? What time, I ask you? Where’s the letter?”

Alice picked up the letter from the bedside table and handed it to her. It felt stiff. She examined it back and front, noting that the postmark was Jarrow, before she opened it, then she drew out a card.

The card had a large rose on the

front, deep red and of a cabbage variety. She stared at it, turned it over, then read: “From a silent admirer.”

The face that now looked at Alice was as red as the rose on the card.

“Give it here!” Alice’s hand grabbed, but Mary withdrew her arm quickly and said, “It’s mine.” Who’s it from? “

“A friend.”

‘you said you hadn’t any lads. you’ve been havin’ truck with somebody, haven’t you? “

“No, I haven’t. Anyway’—she thrust the card back into the envelope ‘what if I was havin’ truck with a lad, I’m past sixteen. Janie Anderson from across the road was married last week, remember, and she’s not seventeen yet.”

Don’t you talk to me about Janie Anderson, that trollop. Do you want to land up in the same way as she did, going to the altar with her belly full? “

“Oh Ma! Ma, what do you think I am?” Mary’s tone was indignant.

“I know what you are.” Alice nodded her head viciously at her.

“And—let me see you havin’ any carry-on with any of them round these doors and I’ll bray you till you can’t sit.”

Bitterly they stared at each other and the knowledge that was between them rose to the surface and Mary was just prevented from hissing it out by Alee entering through the open door.

“Come out of it.” He pulled at her arm and thrust her out of the bedroom. Then, looking at his wife, he said slowly, What a pity you didn’t take your own advice, isn’t it? “ Alice made no answer to this but her lips parted to show her teeth tight-clenched. The muscles on her neck went into cords as Alee went on, still quietly but authoritatively, “If she wants to have a lad she’s havin’ a lad; as she said, she’s turned sixteen. And she could take after her mother, couldn’t^ she, and make him run for it. Janie Anderson isn’t the first trollop.” And on this he turned round slowly and went out of the bedroom.

In the kitchen Mary was sitting at the table. She had taken the card from the envelope and was staring at it, and she turned to Alee and, handing it to him, said, “I haven’t got a lad, Da, and I don’t know who it’s from.”

And she didn’t know who it was from, not really, but she hoped it was from Hughie Amesden, because he was silent. Although he had only spoken to her that once, somehow she felt he was as much aware of her as she was of him.

Alee read the message on the back, looked at the rose again, then said, “It’s bonny.... No idea who it’s from?”

“No, no, Da. Well, there’s just one lad I know who doesn’t talk much; but then’—she shrugged her shoulders “I really don’t think he would send me a card.”

“Well anyway’—he nicked his fingers at her—’it’s a start. You’ll see, they’ll be comin’ every post from now on.”

“Oh, Da, don’t be daft.”

“The lads in my class think you’re bonny.”

They both turned and looked at Jimmy where he had been bending over his books in the corner of the room, seeming uninterested in what was going on, and her da laughed aloud now as he said, “There you are;

that’s fame for you. “

“Oh, Da!” She pushed him, then said, “Oh you, our Jimmy! talk about spinning them.”

“I’m not, I’m not, Mary. Honest. They were talkin’ about lasses one day and one of the lads said you were a cracker.”

“How old was he?” Mary was standing very straight now, her head up, her chin to one side.

“Same as me, fourteen.”

“Fourteen!” She slumped with her mirth and laid her head against Alec’s shoulder, saying, “Fourteen, Da, fourteen!” and Alee, laughing too, said, “Well, he’ll grow; there’s plenty of time.”

“You, Jimmy!”

The voice came from the bedroom, and Jimmy got up heavily from his seat and looked at them for a moment, and they at him; then he bowed his head and went from the room.

Wearily now Alee turned towards the fire, saying below his breath, “You know, of the three of us I’m beginning to think he’s got the worst deal.”

Suddenly Mary felt sad, not because of what her da had said about Jimmy, but because he was no longer pretending that everything was all right between her ma and him. It was three against one now, but she knew that the one was stronger than the three put together.

mary had been working at the shop for six weeks when Alice said, “I’m havin’ no more of this, I’m getting’ on me feet.”

Don’t be silly, Ma. The doctor said it would be eight weeks, and you had to be careful. “ Alice stared at her for a moment before she said grimly, “Mr. Weir says you can get crutches if you go down to the Infirmary; your da’ll go the morrow and get me them, and once I’m on me legs I’m comin’

down there to see what you’re up to, me girl.”

“What do you mean, Ma, what I’m up to?”

“Just what I say, ‘cos I know you’re not takin’ two pen—north of notice what I tell you. I don’t know what’s going on, but you’re too happy by half. There was me having to practically beg you to take it on, and now I’ll likely have to hammer you to give it up. But you’ll give it up, me girl. Oh aye, you’ll give it up, I’ll see to that.”

Mary bit on her lip, shook her head and walked out. The day being Wednesday, she sat down to the table to dinner with Ben, and they were almost finished the meal when he said, “Is there anything wrong, Mary?”

She gazed at her plate before she looked up at him, saying, “I’ll soon be finished; me ma’s on her feet again, at least she will be the day, she’s getting’ crutches.”

“Oh!” He went on eating for a moment before saying, “But she’ll be a few more weeks on crutches, she won’t be able to put her foot to the ground for some time yet’ Again she looked up at him, The ma will,” she said flatly.

When she had cleared the pudding plates and was carrying them into the kitchen Ben followed her and, from the doorway, asked simply, “Would you like to stay on, Mary?” She looked at him over her shoulder.

“It’s me ma’s job.”

“It’s anybody’s job I choose to give it to, Mary.”

The ma would never stand for it. “ She turned her head away from him.

“I’m very satisfied with the way things are, Mary. And ... and the child’s taken to you; he’s been happier and more obedient these last few weeks than ever I’ve known him. He ... he wanted a playmate, sort of.” He smiled gently.

Although she didn’t look at him but went on scraping the bits from the plates she knew he was smiling, she could tell by his voice. She had learned a lot about Mr. Tollett during the last few weeks; she could in a way understand why her ma liked him liked him too much, because he was different from her da.

But there was nobody like her da, nobody; her ma should be satisfied having a man like her da.

“She wouldn’t stand for it,” she repeated.

“Oh!” His tone had a touch of authority to it now.

“It isn’t what she’d stand or not stand, if you want to stay on you can, and welcome.

The only thing is, I think it’s too much for you doing the two jobs, the hours are too long. If . if you decide to take it on full-time I’ll pay you accordingly. You won’t lose by it. “ She turned and looked at him. His brown eyes were kind and had a great depth to them; sometimes she felt uneasy when they were on her.

E;’,. /’ “Will you think it over?”

Ill’ g “I... I don’t need to think it over. I’d stay and be pleased to, very pleased, but it’s ... it’s me ma.” He nodded at her now, a slow smile covering his face.

“If that’s how you feel, Mary, we’ll meet trouble when it comes. Just carry on as you are doing.” He went to turn away, then stopped and looked at her again and said, “Would you do me a favour?”

“Oh aye, yes, Mr. Tollett.”

“Well, on Friday night I’d like to go out. There’s a dinner in Shields, a businessman’s do, it only comes once a year and if you’d stay with David until I get back I’d be very grateful.”

“Oh yes, yes, of course, I’ll stay. It’ll be a pleasure.” She nodded at him.

“Thanks, Mary.”

When she had the kitchen to herself she stopped what she was doing and stood looking through the meshed curtains. There were white tufts of cloud scudding over the chimney pots and she watched the sun come out and turn them to pink fluffy banks. The day was suddenly bright; her life, her future, were suddenly bright; she could have this job for good, full time, and what could her ma do about it if Mr.

Tollett told her straight? And if she stayed on she would in a way, be killing two birds with one stone, for she would be making not only her own future secure but also her da’s; her ma couldn’t get up to anything if she wasn’t coming back to the shop, could she? Of course, her ma would go mad she knew she would—but if she went on too much she knew what I’8’ she would do. She’d go and live at her grannie’s. There was a spare room there, and her grannie would be only too glad to have her.

It would be lovely living with her grannie and gran da fancy being able to work here all day in this lovely house, and then at night not to have to go up the street and face her ma, but go to her grannie’s.

Oh—she sighed deeply—the prospect was too good to be true. On Friday night she ran up the street with the basket of