‘I slept like a log,’ she informed Mrs Watson, ‘and I havena had any more pains.’ The woman smiled. ‘Aye, well, it’s been a false labour. That often happens. It could be days yet before it starts in earnest. Sit you down there, and have some porridge. Jimmy’s in the lavvy the now, and he’ll be going to his work in a minute or so and then we’ll get peace to speak things over.’ Sitting down at the set place, Elspeth said, ‘What does your man work at?’ ‘He’s on the crusher at the quarry. That’s the machine that breaks up all the bits o’ granite that’s no use for anything else, and makes them into chuckles for paths in folks’s gardens. It’s a messy job, and his clothes are grey wi’ dust when he comes home, but ... och, well, it’s a good enough job, and it’s steady.’ Having heard the last part of his wife’s remarks as he came in, Jimmy took his jacket off the hook at the back of the door and observed, ‘This block o’ tenements belongs to the quarry, you ken.’ ‘Rubislaw Quarry,’ Helen said, over her shoulder.
