"'You're not working, Harry,' said Fanny without troubling to lower her voice. 'Don't see how you can work, with all this jawing going on. Come out for a walk.'
"I glanced up at her and rose at once. It wasn't often Fanny asked me to go for a walk with her. I put my books away.
"'Going out for a bit of fresh air, mother,' said Fanny, taking her hat down from its peg.
"'No, you don't—not at this time,' cried my mother from the scullery. 'Ain't I said, once and for all——?'
"'It's all right, mother, Harry's going with me. He'll see no one runs away with me and ruins me.... You've said it once and for all—times enough.'
"My mother made no further objection, but she flashed a look of infinite hate at my sister.
"We went upstairs and out into the street.
"For a time we said nothing, but I had a sense that I was going to be 'told things.'
"'I've had about enough of all this,' Fanny began presently. 'What's going to become of us? Father and uncle 've been drinking all day; you can see they're both more than half-screwed. Both of 'em. It's every day now. It's worse and worse and worse. Uncle hasn't had a job these ten days. Father's always with him. The shop's getting filthy. He doesn't sweep it out now for days together.'
"'Uncle seems to have lost 'eart,' I said, 'since he heard that Aunt Adelaide would have to have that second operation.'