‘Oh, ’ullo, Jack,’ she said, ‘fancy it bein’ you.’ ‘Yes, what a coincidence, Ivy,’ said Dad, ‘seein’ it’s you.’ ‘Yes, I just come out. I must say yer lookin’ real fit an’ manly, considerin’ all them years of yourn away at the war. Yer a credit to yer fam’ly – oh, we ’eard Maud’s cousin Edie’s come for the weekend again. My, ain’t she a kind, obligin’ woman with Maud bein’ away? I can’t say ’ow sorry I am about Maud ’aving to go away, it must be something really chronic, is it?’ ‘Fairly chronic,’ said Dad. ‘She’s gorn to a home for the chronic, I suppose?’ ‘I suppose you could say so,’ said Dad, cheerfulness covering up his reticence. ‘Don’t that seem ’ard luck when she’s been such a good religious woman all these years?’ said Mrs Shaw. ‘Makes yer think, don’t it? Mrs Johnson said she ’opes it wasn’t religion that took Maud orf.’ She paused, waiting for a response, but Dad just smiled. ‘It must be ’ard on you an’ yer fam’ly, Jack.
