And now, as she came into the light of the arcades, she looked like a half-drowned sparrow.

The rain dripped from her hat, and the shabby thin skirt clung to her legs like a wet dishcloth.

Chook looked at her with rage in his heart.

These trips to the market always rolled his pride in the mud, the pride of the male who is willing to work his fingers to the bone to provide his mate with fine plumage.
The cares of the shop had told on Pinkey's looks, for the last two years spent with Chook's mother had been like a long honeymoon, and Pinkey had led the life of a lady, with nothing to do but scrub and wash and help Chook's mother keep her house like a new pin.

So she had grown plump and pert like a well-fed sparrow, but the care and worry of the new shop had sharpened the angles of her body.