her side as well as I can 'ere. I'm abaht
sick of the wy things is goin' on.'

'So am I; but I can't leave mother.'

'She can come, too.'

'Not when I'm not married. I shouldn't like 'er ter know as I'd--as
I'd gone wrong.'

'Well, I'll marry yer. Swop me bob, I wants ter badly enough.'

'Yer can't; yer married already.'

'Thet don't matter! If I give the missus so much a week aht of my
screw, she'll sign a piper ter give up all clime ter me, an' then we
can get spliced. One of the men as I works with done thet, an' it was
arright.'

Liza shook her head.

'Na, yer can't do thet now; it's bigamy, an' the cop tikes yer, an'
yer gits twelve months' 'ard for it.'

'But swop me bob, Liza, I can't go on like this. Yer knows the
missus--well, there ain't no bloomin' doubt abaht it, she knows as you
an' me are carryin' on, an' she mikes no bones abaht lettin' me see
it.'

'She don't do thet?'

'Well, she don't exactly sy it, but she sulks an' won't speak, an'
then when I says anythin' she rounds on me an' calls me all the nimes
she can think of. I'd give 'er a good 'idin', but some'ow I don't like
ter! She mikes the plice a 'ell ter me, an' I'm not goin' ter stand it
no longer!'

'You'll ave ter sit it, then; yer can't chuck it.'

'Yus I can, an' I would if you'd come along of me. I don't believe you
like me at all, Liza, or you'd come.'

She turned towards him and put her arms round his neck.

'Yer know I do, old cock,' she said. 'I like yer better than anyone
else in the world; but I can't go awy an' leave mother.'

'Bli'me me if I see why; she's never been much ter you. She mikes yer
slave awy ter pay the rent, an' all the money she earns she boozes.'

'Thet's true, she ain't been wot yer might call a good mother ter
me--but some'ow she's my mother, an' I don't like ter leave 'er on 'er
own, now she's so old--an' she can't do much with the rheumatics. An'
besides, Jim dear, it ain't only mother, but there's yer own kids, yer
can't leave them.'

He thought for a while, and then said:

'You're abaht right there, Liza; I dunno if I could get on without the
kids. If I could only tike them an' you too, swop me bob, I should be
'appy.'

Liza smiled sadly.

'So yer see, Jim, we're in a bloomin' 'ole, an' there ain't no way aht
of it thet I can see.'

He took her on his knees, and pressing her to him, kissed her very
long and very lovingly.

'Well, we must trust ter luck,' she said again, 'p'raps som