Finally the machine stopped.  The sharp-faced woman took the coat up, bit a thread with her teeth, and laying it on her knee began to unpick the tackings.

“Let me!” said Nellie, pulling off her gloves and taking off her hat.  “We came to see you, Ned and I,” she went on with honest truthfulness, “because he’s just down from the bush, and I wanted him to see what Sydney was like.  Ned, this is Mrs. Somerville.”

Mrs. Somerville nodded at Ned.  “You’re right to come here,” she remarked, grimly, getting up while Nellie took her place as if she often did it.  “You know just what it is, Nellie, and I do, too, worse luck.  Perhaps it’s good for us.  When we’re better off we don’t care for those who’re down.  We’ve got to get down ourselves to get properly disgusted with it.”

She spoke with the accent of an educated woman, moving to the make-shift table and beginning to “tidy-up.”  As she passed between him and the light Ned could see that the cotton dress was her only covering.

“How are the children?” asked Nellie.

“How can you expect them to be?” retorted the other.

“You ought to wean the baby,” insisted Nellie, as though it was one of their habitual topics.

“Wean the baby!  That’s all very well for those who can buy plenty of milk.  It’s a pity it’s ever got to be weaned.”

“Plenty of work this week?” asked Nellie, changing the subject.

“Yes; plenty of work this week.  You know what that means.  No work at all when they get a stock ahead, so as to prevent us feeling too independent I suppose.”  She paused, then added:  “That girl downstairs says she isn’t going to work any more.  I talked to her a little but she says one might just as well die one way as another, and that she’ll have some pleasure first.  I couldn’t blame her much.  She’s got a good heart.  She’s been very kind to the children.”

Nellie did not answer; she did not even look up.

“They’re going to reduce prices at the shop,” went on Mrs. Somerville.  “They told me last time I went that after this lot they shouldn’t pay as much because they could easily get the things done for less.  I asked what they’d pay, and they said they didn’t know but they’d give me as good a show for work as ever if I cared to take the new prices, because they felt sorry for the children.  I suppose I ought to feel thankful to them.”

Nellie looked up now—­her face flushed.  “Reduce, prices again!” she cried.  “How can they?”

“I don’t know how they can, but they can,” answered Mrs. Somerville.  “I suppose we can be thankful so long as they don’t want to be paid for letting us work for them.  Old Church’s daughter got married to some officer of the fleet last week, I’m told, and I suppose we’ve got to help give her a send-off.”

“It’s shameful,” exclaimed Nellie.  “What they paid two years ago hardly kept one alive, and they’ve reduced twice since then.  Oh!  They’ll all pay for it some day.”