Not that Pinkey cared.

She had the instinct for property, the passionate desire to call something her own, an instinct that lay dormant and undeveloped while she lived among other people's belongings.

Moreover, she had discovered a born talent for shopkeeping.

With her natural desire to please, she enchanted the customers, welcoming them with a special smile, and never forgetting to remember that it was Mrs Brown's third child that had the measles, and that Mrs Smith's case puzzled the doctors.

They only wanted a horse and cart, so that she could mind the shop while Chook went hawking about the streets, and their fortunes were made.