‘Are they just looking to be thrown into Durham gaol? For God’s sake, Mam!’ She was shocked and full of fear, not just for her father but also for them all. ‘They have to do something,’ said Mary Anne. ‘They’re laid off and have been for a fortnight. What are we supposed to live on, then?’ ‘But the pit’s working, I saw it,’ said Eliza. She sank down on to the settee with trembling knees. The day had started out so fine and she had felt so happy walking over from Hazelrigg Farm. Now everything was changed, even the sun had gone behind a cloud. Danger was everywhere, or so she felt. ‘Aye, the pit’s not idle but half the men are, your da and the lads among them. It’s the fault of the bond,’ Mary Anne sounded bitter. ‘The shop won’t let us have any more on the slate and we don’t even know if they can go back to work next week. It depends on orders for coal, that swine Moore says. If they hadn’t signed a bond they’d be free to look for work elsewhere.
