She said she would, if I'd light her fire for her, and clean up the grate.

I did this, gladly enough.

Then she pretended I had done it badly, and gave me one miserable little dry crust, and told me to be off.

Well, that day I found another woman who said she'd give me one meal and twopence a day for helping her to chop wood and wash vegetables; she had a son who was a costermonger, and the stuff he sold had to be cleaned each day.

I took the work gladly.