But if Morel had not come they faltered.

The sense of his sitting in all his pit-dirt, drinking, after a long day's work, not coming home and eating and washing, but sitting, getting drunk, on an empty stomach, made Mrs.Morel unable to bear herself.

From her the feeling was transmitted to the other children.

She never suffered alone any more: the children suffered with her.
Paul went out to play with the rest.

Down in the great trough of twilight, tiny clusters of lights burned where the pits were.