The Gambling Man

‘Eeh! by! you look bonny.’ Lizzie came towards her, but before reaching her she turned to Rory, who was rising from the table, saying, ‘You going to keep her waiting all night? Get a move on.’

The quick jerk of Rory’s head, the flash of his eyes and the further straightening of his lips caused Janie to say quickly, ‘There’s plenty of time, there’s plenty of time. I’ve got a full hour afore I’m due in. Look, it’s only eight o’clock.’

It’ll take you all that to walk from here to Westoe an’ the streets covered.’

‘No, it won’t, Lizzie. When I get goin’ George Wilson, the Newcastle walker, or me grannie’s fusiliers aren’t in it.’ She now swung her arms and did a standing march and ended, ‘Grenadier Waggett, the woman walker from Wallsend!’ Then stopping abruptly amid the laughter, she looked to where John George was taking his coat from the back of the door, and she asked flatly, ‘You’re not comin’ surely? You haven’t been here five minutes.’

‘I’ve got to get back, Janie, me Uncle Willy’s not too good.’

‘Was he ever?’

The aside came from Lizzie and as Ruth went to admonish her with a quick shake of her head Rory turned on her a look that could only be described as rage, for it was contorting his features. He did not shout at her, but his low tone conveyed his feelings more than if he had bawled as he said, ‘Will you hold your tongue, woman, an’ mind your own business for once!’

Strangely Lizzie did not turn on him, but she looked at him levelly for a moment and countered his anger with almost a placid expression as she said, ‘I’ve spent me life mindin’ me own business, lad, an’ me own business is to take care of those I’m concerned for, and I’m concerned for John George there. That uncle and aunt of his live off him. And what I’m sayin’ now I’ve said afore to his face, haven’t I, John George?’

‘You have that, Lizzie. And I like you mindin’ me business, it’s a comforter.’

‘There you are.’ She nodded towards Rory, who now had his back to her as he made his way down the long narrow room towards the ladder at the end that led into the loft, which place was Jimmy’s and his bedroom and had been since they were children, one end of it at one time having been curtained off to accommodate Nellie.

With no further words, Lizzie now went into the scullery, and Janie began saying her good-byes. When she came to Nellie she bent over her and said below her breath, ‘You all right, Nellie?’

‘Aye. Aye, Janie, I’m all right.’

Janie stared down into the peaked face; she knew Nellie wasn’t all right, she had never been all right since she married. Nellie’s marriage frightened her. Charlie Burke had courted Nellie for four years and was never off the doorstep, and Sunday after Sunday they had laughed and larked on like bairns in this very room. But not any more, not since she had been married but a few months. It was something to do with—the bedroom. Neither her grannie nor Lizzie had spoken to her about it and, of course, it went without saying that Ruth wouldn’t mention any such thing. But from little bits that she had overheard between Lizzie and her grannie she knew Nellie’s trouble lay in—the bedroom, and the fact that she had not fallen with a bairn and her all of three years married. Charlie Burke rarely came up to the house any more on a Sunday. Of course he had an excuse; he worked on the coal boats and so could be called out at any time to take a load up the river.

Janie now went into the kitchen to say good-bye to Lizzie.

Lizzie was standing with her hands holding the rim of the tin dish that rested on a little table under the window, which sloped to the side as if following the line of the roof.

‘I’m off then Lizzie.’

Without turning and her voice thick and holding a slight tremor, Lizzie said in answer, ‘He’s a bloody upstart. Do you know that, Janie? He’s a bloody snot. I’m sorry to say this, lass, but he is.’

‘He’s not; you know he’s not, Lizzie.’ She shook her head at the older woman. ‘An’ you’re as much to blame as he is. Now yes you are.’ She bent sidewards and wagged her finger into the fat face, and Lizzie, her eyes blinking rapidly, put out her hand and touched the cream skin that glowed with health and youth and said, ‘Lass, you’re too good for him. And it isn’t the day or yesterday I’ve said it, now is it? He’s damned lucky.’

‘So am I, Lizzie.’

‘Aw, lass.’ Lizzie smiled wryly. ‘You’d say thank you if you were dished up with a meat puddin’ made of lights, you would that.’

‘Well, and why not? And it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve eaten lights.’

They pushed against each other with their hands; then Janie said, ‘Remember that starving Christmas? How old was I? Ten, eleven? No work, strikes, trouble. Eeh! we had lights all right then. Me grannie cooked them seven different ways every week.’ She paused and they looked at each other. ‘Bye-bye, Lizzie.’