Upon the whole, Martha did not very much regret her change of dwelling,
though she made a great virtue of her patience in submitting quietly to
it. To be sure, the cinder-hill was unsightly, and the cabin blackened
with smoke; and it was necessary to lock little Nan and grandfather
safely within the house whenever she went out, lest they should get to
the mouth of the open shaft, where Stephen often amused the child by
throwing stones down it, and listening to their rebound against the
sides. But still Martha had near neighbours; and until now she had hardly
even tasted the luxury of a thorough gossip, which she could enjoy in any
one of the cottages throughout Botfield. Moreover, she could get work for
herself on three days in the week, to help a washerwoman, who gave her
ninepence a day, besides letting little Nan go with her, and have, as she
said, 'the run of her teeth.' She had her admirers, too--young collier
lads, who told her truly enough she was the cleanest, neatest, tidiest
lass in all Botfield. So Martha Fern regarded their residence on the
cinder-hill with more complacency than could have been expected.
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