For Many a Long Day by Anne Doughty Read Free Book Online Page A

it struck the half hour.
    ‘You may indeed be
in time
for work, Miss Hutchinson, but I hardly think by any stretch of the imagination one could say you were
ready for
work.’
    ‘I’m sorry Miss Walker. Scotch Street is desperate busy. There was a Crossley tender tryin’ to get down the street through the carts comin’ up for the market an’ I coulden get through.’
    ‘Perhaps if you’d left home somewhat earlier the necessary activities of our Police force would not have inconvenienced you,’ the older woman replied sarcastically. ‘Tidy yourself up and when you’re fit to be seen come and take over from me in the Ladies Department. Miss Scott has her duties already.’
    Her lips snapped shut on the last word like a vice and she sailed out with as much dignity as the congested area permitted.
    ‘The old cow!’
    ‘Shh, Daisy, she’ll hear you,’ said Ellie softly, as she took out her comb and pushed her friend gently down on to a bentwood chair. ‘Let me do it, I’m quicker than you.’
    One look at Daisy’s crumpled face told Ellie that things were bad. It wasn’t just the effort of getting up early and cycling the three miles from her home on the other side of the city, it was the burden she’d been carrying since her father had died suddenly, two years ago, leaving his small farm in debt.
    For some time now her mother had been poorly. The doctor didn’t seem to know what was wrong. That meant the only labour they had was Daisy herself and her two younger brothers, Bill and Johnny, who were both still at school. Their only regular income was Daisy’s meagre pay. However much she hated Miss Walker, she just could not afford to upset her. Getting the sack would be a disaster.
    ‘What’s happened, Daisy. Something’s wrong,’ Ellie whispered as she undid the black ribbon, caught up the dark curls and repinned them into a neat chignon.
    ‘We’ve had a notice from the landlord. He says he’ll put the bailiffs in if we don’t pay up,’ she saidgasping, her eyes wide, her lips trembling on the verge of tears. ‘What am I goin’ to do Ellie? What am I goin’ to do?’
    ‘I don’t know, Daisy, but we’ll think of something,’ she replied, giving her a little kiss on the cheek. ‘Tuck your blouse in, it’s out at the back. We’ll go and have an ice-cream after work. My treat,’ she added hastily, as she saw the look of anxiety in her friend’s eyes. ‘Now away down as quick as you can. Give her no excuse to pull you up. We’ll manage something. We really will.’
    Ellie took a deep breath, put her comb away and consulted Miss Walker’s list, but the beautifully written copperplate suddenly blurred before her eyes as the thought came back to her yet again that George was going away and she was going to have to remain. Here, in this cramped and confined room. Here, in the more spacious but equally confining Ladies Department. Here, being polite and courteous and helpful to people who were seldom polite to her in return, seldom courteous and rarely helpful.
    But she had a home to go to, a roof over her head, and was short of money only because she’d been saving every penny she could, whereas poor Daisy had to spend every penny she earned on food for the family and meal for the hens. She hadn’t even been able to afford a new blouse in all of the two years she’d been at Freeburns and her shoes hadpieces of cardboard in them, because she couldn’t afford the cobbler in Jenny’s Row.
    The box of
Ladies Knickers, Large
she needed was at the bottom of the pile stacked on the landing. She reached up, tugged at a box labelled
Leather Gloves, Black
which was pressed against the low ceiling, managed to slow its fall as it tipped towards her and dragged it to one side. A further struggle with
Aprons and Overalls, assorted
enabled her to reach the one she needed. She had just finished rebuilding the column of boxes and was about to pick up
Ladies Knickers, Large
when from below she thought she