Mary takes a plain and fairly clean apron from a hook by the dresser and puts it on briskly; she then takes a cup and saucer from the rack, putting them on the dresser, from the cupboard of which she takes a cocoa-tin and puts a spoonful of cocoa in the cup. Then she takes bread and meat from the cupboard and makes a couple of huge sandwiches. These she puts on a tin plate, and covering them with another tin plate, she ties the whole in a large red handkerchief with the ends looped for carrying. A tin can with a screw top is placed near by. Then, from the door at the left, enters Jock Brown, Mary’s cousin. He is dressed in his working or “black” clothes, which may have been coloured once but are now blackened with coal dust. He wears no collar, but a muffler, which, because it is doffed in the pit, still preserves something of its original hue, which was a bright red. JOCK A wis hardly expectin’ tae see you this mornin’, Mary. MARY (apparently unmoved, proceeds with her operations at the stove) An’ why no’, bless ye. Mebbe ye’d raither A dragged yer mither oot o’ her bed an’ her bad wi’ her rheumatics, tae. JOCK A could a’ dune fur masel’ for wan mornin’. MARY Ye’d a’ made a bonnie mess o’ the job. JOCK Aw, A’m no’ a wean. MARY A can jist see ye daein’t, an’ gettin’ doon tae the pit ahint time, tae. We huvnae quarrell’t, huv we? JOCK Naw: no’ that A ken. MARY Then whit wey should A no’ get up and dae fur ye jist the same as A’ve dune near’s lang’s A can mind? JOCK A donno. MARY Naw, nor naebody else either. JOCK (disconcerted and apologetic)Weel, ye see, A thocht mebbe that efter whit we were sayin’ last nicht ye widnae want tae see me this mornin’. MARY Naw, there wis naethin’ in that tae pit us aff the usual. JOCK (with eagerness)Then, wull ye tell me—— MARY (cutting him short and putting the cocoa on the table) There’s yer cocoa. Ye’ll better drink it when it’s hot. JOCK (tasting)Aye. It’s hot anough onyway. MARY It’s a cauld mornin’ tae be gaun oot. Ye’ll be nane the waur o’ somethin’ hot this weather. JOCK