The River Folk by Margaret Dickinson Read Free Book Online Page A

the covers up to her chin. ‘What have I got to get up for?’ she said piteously and allowed the tears that filled her eyes to trickle down her temples and into her matted, unkempt hair. ‘Go away and leave me alone. I just want to die.’
    ‘Really?’ Bessie said dryly. ‘Not if I have anything to do with it. We can’t afford flowers.’ She pushed her sleeves up her arms and then turned to heave the sash window upwards. The morning air blew freshly into the stale room. Shivering, Amy burrowed beneath the covers.
    ‘Come on out of it.’ Bessie grasped the bedclothes and flung them back, revealing the thin woman curled up into a ball. ‘Just look at the state of you! What would your George say if he could see you now?’
    ‘Oh Bess, that’s cruel.’ Minnie’s eyes were round, whilst Amy started to wail.
    ‘Sometimes, Minnie Eccleshall, you’ve got to be cruel to be kind. Now, are you going to help me get her out of this bed or do I have to do it on me own? Because, mark my words, Minnie . . .’ Bessie wagged her finger across the bed at her friend and neighbour. ‘Out she’s coming, whether she likes it or not.’
    Minnie sighed and shook her head. ‘You’re a hard woman, Bessie. A hard woman.’
    ‘Aye, but I’m right, aren’t I? If we let her lie here . . .’ Bessie said no more as with one accord they grasped hold of Amy and dragged her bodily out of the bed.
    ‘’Ere, wrap this blanket round her and tek her downstairs. In fact, tek her across to my house. It’s warm there. Make her a cup of tea and there’s some porridge on the stove. Get some of that into her. I’m going to strip this bed . . .’
    Ten minutes later, Bessie waddled into her own back scullery, scarcely able to see where she was going above the mound of washing she was carrying. ‘Good job I was planning on lighting the copper in the wash-house today.’
    There was a communal wash-house in Waterman’s Yard and every week, usually on a Monday, the women gathered together to boil, wash, rinse and mangle their washing and exchange gossip. All except, in recent weeks, Amy Hamilton.
    ‘Mind you,’ Bessie was grumbling, ‘with all that’s been going on this morning, it’s a bit late on in the day for starting a washday now.’
    Minnie sniffed unsympathetically. ‘Well, if you will go off on secret missions – so secret you can’t tell your best friend – then . . .’
    Bessie’s eyes twinkled. Poor Minnie didn’t like being left in the dark about what was going on in the yard. ‘I’ll tell you, Min. All in good time, but . . .’ She lowered her voice. ‘Let’s see to poor Amy first, eh?’
    Minnie grinned at her friend. ‘Right you are, Bess. Whatever you say.’ She paused and then asked, ‘Er . . . what, exactly, are we going to do?’
    ‘There’s plenty of hot water in me back boiler, so you fetch me tin bath out the wash-house and . . .’
    ‘You’re not going to give her a bath in the middle of the day, Bess. And it’s not even Friday.’
    ‘And how many Fridays in recent weeks do you reckon she’s given ’ersen a bath? Did you see ’er feet? Black, they are.’
    ‘Oh but, Bess . . .’
    ‘Don’t “Oh but, Bess” me. And another thing. Have you got any clothes she could borrow while I get all hers washed? Dear oh dear, I’ve never seen a body in such a state in all me born days.’
    ‘Well, I don’t know about that . . .’ Minnie said doubtfully.
    Now Bessie laughed out loud. ‘I could lend her some of mine, but she’d be able to wrap ’em twice round ’ersen, wouldn’t she?’
    As Minnie turned to go, Bessie called after her, ‘And don’t go telling Phyllis. It’ll be all round this yard and the ones on either side of us, if you do. You might as well splash it across the weekly Elsborough News as tell Phyllis Horberry.’
    Minnie grinned over her shoulder. ‘All right, Bess, I won’t. But you have to admit, Phyllis does bring home some choice bits of gossip now and