‘I’m off out of this.’
‘Going?’ she cried. ‘Abner . . . you can’t go and leave me like this. Not with him!’
He laughed. ‘I can’t take you along with me. Not likely!’ He went on pulling out clothes from his wooden box. She broke down altogether.
‘Abner . . . Abner, don’t go and leave me. I can’t . . . I can’t . . .’ He put on his scarf. ‘Abner, only stay along with us for a bit. . .’
‘I’ve stayed too long as it is.’
She tried to put her arms round his neck, but he pushed her away. ‘It’s lucky I’ve got a bit of money put by for a start,’ he said, fumbling in the mattress for his stocking. ‘I’ll give you what I can spare.’
Then suddenly he swore violently. He had found the stocking, but it was empty. He turned furiously on Alice: ‘You devil, you took it!’
She fell at his feet, imploring him to believe that she knew nothing about it. ‘I’ve never told you a lie, Abner,’ she said.
His rage made him unreasonable. ‘You’re like the rest on ’em! Twenty pounds! What have you done with it?’
‘I swear I never seen a penny of it, Abner. It must be there. Look again.’