Catherine smiled at her pupil. "Well, think of it as a courtesy to others. It..." she thought for a moment. "It shows them that you care enough to behave in a right way, to look and sounds pleasant. And it's not exhausting once you get used to it. It would feel unnatural to me to hold a cup in any other way."

"I dunno. Mam said 'please', 'thank ye' and a good smile'd take me far. I'm too busy working for much more niceness an curtsey."

This didn't go as Catherine had anticipated. She had expected the girl to hang on her every word, grateful that Catherine would stoop down to teach a simple shop girl good manners. Catherine hadn't expected to have said manners questioned. She was at a complete loss. She had never questioned a thing in her life. This was alien territory.

But she hid her discontent behind a polite smile, as she herself had been taught so well. Never cause discomfort.

"Of course. And I imagine your parents are very proud of you. I imagine that's more than enough for working in a shop. I only meant that I feel you could amount to so much more. Now..." She had grown weary of the topic. "Let me show you some of the books I had picked out."

She put her cup and saucer back on the table. When she had gotten up, she stood still for a moment to ensure she felt steady on her feet. Then she slowly walked over to a desk, picked up the three books that lay waiting, and returned to her window seat, happy to sit down again without incident. "This was my favourite as a child. Do you know it?" She handed Ellie the first book. The title read "Little Women".

Ellie frowned deeply at her host's statement. Was she meant for more? She no longer picked at nets and fish guts instead, sold books in a shop wearing smart and pretty clothes.

"Well, I'm nought afraid of heights, Miss." Ellie answered. Ellie watched as the sickly girl rose and retrieve a book. Did Ellie know it?

"Is it about the problems of bein' a short girl?" She answered.

Catherine's delicate eyebrows knitted together, which wasn't polite or ladylike, but her young guest kept surprising and confusing her.

"Why... no. It's about four sisters growing up. They are their parents' little women, I suppose. Anyway, they are really quite good, the whole family is. They love each other very much. Only, sometimes they are make bad choices, but they always own up to it, and become better. Oh, I can't describe it so well, but it's lovely. There's Meg, who is the oldest, and she wishes she was rich enough to wear pretty dresses, but actually she ends up marry-, oh dear." It was probably a good thing she had to catch her breath because she wasn't used to speaking to much. "I shouldn't ruin it for you by telling you what happens to them," she added, slightly embarrassed, when she had air to speak.

Ellie's face stretched into the open-mouthed expression of sudden understanding, oh. Then came the slight gash of a smile at the humor of her initial response. A book about short women... would that even sell? Rather a book about young girls making mistakes, but ultimately becoming better.

"Sounds like me.. Miss. I would love to read it. It looks big, it'll take me a bit. 'ave you always liked books?"

"Oh, well, I do, only I lately I can't read as much as I'd like." Which really wasn't that much. Catherine had always liked the idea of being well read and had aspired to it ever since she was a child, but actually sitting down to read the sort of literature she knew she ought to read was such a bore. "I get these terrible migraines, you see? But when I am well, I like to read. I read to the children in the workhouse every other Saturday. Only recently I have been unwell."

"That's terrible!" Ellie blurted out "When my sisters and I are poorly, mam swears by a brew of brandy, cod liver oil, and a squeeze of lemon. It's cured generations of Russell women"

That was enough to push up the contents of Catherine's tightly compressed stomach and in true ladylike fashion, she threw up in her mouth and quickly drank some of her tea to mask it. "That... won't be necessary," she said as soon as she had recovered. "The doctor drops by frequently. Now," she added, eager to change the subject. "Let's look at the other one. This one, Good Wifes" - she handed the next book to Ellie - "is about Jo and Meg and Amy and... well, in a way Beth when they're grown up. I like it even more, though its sometimes sad."

Ellie nodded solemnly. Being sick was no fun at all. Then there was this new book... the plot seemed oddly compelling, following the same group of girls as they continued on their life journeys. "Hmm. Like those girls, I 'ope to marry some day too and be a good wife. I don't know what sort he'll be...?" Ellie wondered aloud.