It hurt her most of all, this failure to love him, even when he roused her strong emotions.

She brooded a while.
"And there," she said suddenly, "when I'd got halfway to Keston, I found I'd come out in my working boots--and LOOK at them." They were an old pair of Paul's, brown and rubbed through at the toes.

"I didn't know what to do with myself, for shame," she added.
In the morning, when Annie and Arthur were at school, Mrs.Morel talked again to her son, who was helping her with her housework.
"I found Barker at the hospital.

He did look bad, poor little fellow! 'Well,' I said to him, 'what sort of a journey did you have with him ?' 'Dunna ax me, missis!' he said.

'Ay,' I said, 'I know what he'd be.' 'But it WOR bad for him, Mrs.Morel, it WOR that!' he said.