A Stoker Sits Down
- Cheap passage
- Busier than the day
Dury Mallin sat on an upturned crate at the end of the House Sec lamp-floor, boots stretched toward the kiln mouth, and let his shoulders drop. Hauling coal since the last catch had blistered his palms. He thought about the gift, three coins and change a link, and how little of it reached his own pocket. Then he thought about his daughter, who had asked why the light was going grey, and whether he would have an answer by supper.