Ellie was indeed overwhelmed by the kindness of a stranger. The dress was beautiful, in her favourite colour no less. Hand-me-down or keepsake, it was still the nicest dress young Ellie had seen outside of a shop window. She wanted to hug Christine, but wasn't sure that was proper.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." Ellie babbled instead, her voice trailing off.

The matter of a bath wasn't a problem for Ellie. Some in the Cragg still distrusted water as an agent of disease - and not so long ago, they would have been right - so back home it could be argued: who smelt worse the fishermen or the catch? Yet for Ellie, she had accepted the axiom Cleanliness is next to Godliness, and tried her best with that sort of thing. Yet, her baths were still infrequent and usually cold with such a crowded house. The act of a hot bath to herself in the day was a luxury unknown to her. There were a few moments of idle bliss, before she got to the business of the wash with the products shown her.

She felt wonderful afterwards, and probably looked better too.. if the grey scummy bath water was anything to go by. Soon she had changed and smoothed down the fabric of her 'new' dress, it felt wonderfully soft to the touch. Ellie looked down at the dark servant's uniform, now a shade of grey and she was struck by how ugly it was comparison.