Jenny could feel the damp seeping through the worn soles of her shoes, far too thin to keep out the wet. The whole of the street had turned out for Ted, and, as she glanced around at each one, Jenny saw that they all had the same pinched look. The women were showing the strain perhaps more than the men, as it was on them the burden rested most heavily. Not that the men didn’t care; they tried every day to get work – any work.

She watched Jimmy place a little bunch of daisies at the foot of the grave, and, stepping back, he gave Jenny a fleeting smile of thanks. She hadn’t been able to bear the thought of no flowers at all and had spent a precious tuppence on the simple bouquet of daisies. They gleamed yellow and white on the muddy ground, and seemed to welcome the rain on their dry stalks, the water running like gleaming tears over their bright petals.

The vicar rushed through a prayer, obviously as wet and uncomfortable as the rest of them, but Jenny glared at him. That wasn’t right. Ted Roper had been an honest, hard-working man and deserved respect, especially on this day. It was as if her thoughts got through, because the man suddenly slowed to a more dignified pace and began to read from the Bible with a little more feeling.

Then it was over and they filed silently out of the churchyard, to the sound of the thud, thud of earth as the gravediggers filled in the hole.

The men wandered off to wait for the Red Lion to open, so they could raise a glass to Ted’s life. No one tried to stop them, and they took young Jimmy with them, at fifteen now the man of the house. Jenny had slipped Jimmy another couple of shillings to buy the men a drink. He wasn’t old enough to go in the pub, but she doubted anyone would object today.

She fingered the pendant around her neck and wondered how much longer she was going to be able to keep it.

The pawnbroker’s was crowded the next day, as expected. These were the busiest shops around. Women were popping bedding, clothes, saucepans, in fact any kind of household goods. One woman told Jenny ruefully that a saucepan wasn’t no good if you had bugger all to put in it.

Jenny waited patiently in line and saw the man in front of her hand over a nice pocket watch, telling Uncle that it had belonged to his father. When the man had the money and turned to walk past her, she saw tears in his eyes. He must have known that the chance of redeeming the watch was very slim.