"An' as fer the good 'ome I came from, I wasn't wanted there, an' was 'arf starved; an' now the butcher picks the best joint an' if I lift me finger, a big 'ulkin' feller falls over 'imself ter run an' do wot I want." Chook listened without a smile.

Then his lips twitched and his eyes turned misty.

Pinkey ran at him, crying, "Yer silly juggins, if I've got yous, I've got all I want." She hung round his neck, crying for pleasure, and Mrs Higgs knocked on the counter till she was tired before she got her potatoes.
The wet morning gave Pinkey a sore throat, and that finished Chook.

The shop gave them a bare living, but with a horse and cart he could easily double their takings, and Pinkey could lie snug in bed while he drove to Paddy's Market in the morning.

He looked round in desperation for some way of making enough money to buy Jack Ryan's horse and cart, which were still for sale.