said, going towards the pub, while she held him
back. 'Let me go, can't yer! Let me go!' He roughly pulled his arm
away from her. As she tried to catch hold of it again, he pushed her
back, and in the little scuffle caught her a blow over the face.

'Oh!' she cried, 'you did 'urt!'

He was sobered at once.

'Liza,' he said. 'I ain't 'urt yer?' She didn't answer, and he took
her in his arms. 'Liza, I ain't 'urt you, 'ave I? Say I ain't 'urt
yer. I'm so sorry, I beg your pardon, Liza.'

'Arright, old chap,' she said, smiling charmingly on him. 'It wasn't
the blow that 'urt me much; it was the wy you was talkin'.'

'I didn't mean it, Liza.' He was so contrite, he could not humble
himself enough. 'I 'ad another bloomin' row with the missus ter-night,
an' then when I didn't find you 'ere, an' I kept witin' an'
witin'--well, I fair downright lost my 'air. An' I 'ad two or three
pints of four 'alf, an'--well, I dunno--'

'Never mind, old cock. I can stand more than thet as long as yer loves
me.'

He kissed her and they were quite friends again. But the little
quarrel had another effect which was worse for Liza. When she woke up
next morning she noticed a slight soreness over the ridge of bone
under the left eye, and on looking in the glass saw that it was black
and blue and green. She bathed it, but it remained, and seemed to get
more marked. She was terrified lest people should see it, and kept
indoors all day; but next morning it was blacker than ever. She went
to the factory with her hat over her eyes and her head bent down; she
escaped observation, but on the way home she was not so lucky. The
sharp eyes of some girls noticed it first.

'Wot's the matter with yer eye?' asked one of them.

'Me?' answered Liza, putting her hand up as if in ignorance. 'Nothin'
thet I knows of.'

Two or three young men were standing by, and hearing the girl, looked
up.

'Why, yer've got a black eye, Liza!'

'Me? I ain't got no black eye!'

'Yus you 'ave; 'ow d'yer get it?'

'I dunno,' said Liza. 'I didn't know I 'ad one.'

'Garn! tell us another!' was the answer. 'One doesn't git a black eye
without knowin' 'ow they got it.'

'Well, I did fall against the chest of drawers yesterday; I suppose I
must 'ave got it then.'

'Oh yes, we believe thet, don't we?'

'I didn't know 'e was so 'andy with 'is dukes, did you, Ted?' asked
one man of another.

Liza felt herself grow red to the tips of her toes.

'Who?' she asked.