"Peas an' pies, all 'ot, all 'ot!"

His cart, a kitchen on wheels, sent out a column of smoke from its
stovepipe chimney; and when he raised the lids of the shining cans,
a fragrant steam rose on the air. The cart, painted modestly in red,
bore a strange legend in yellow letters on the front:

WHO'D HAVE THOUGHT IT,
PEAS AND PIES WOULD HAVE BOUGHT IT!

This outburst of lyric poetry was to inform the world that Joey had risen
from humble beginnings to his present commercial eminence, and was not
ashamed of the fact.

He called regularly about ten o'clock, and Jonah and Ada spent a
delightful five minutes deciding which delicacy to choose for the night.
When they tired of green peas they chose hot pies, full of rich gravy that
ran out if you were not careful how you bit; or they preferred the plump
saveloy, smoking hot from the can, giving out a savoury odour that made
your mouth water. Then Ada fetched a jug of beer from the corner to wash
it down. Soon Jonah stayed at the house on Saturday night as a matter
of course.

But Jonah drew the line when the mother hinted that he might as well stay
there altogether. He feared a trap; and when she pointed out the danger
of two women living alone in the house, he looked at her brawny arms
and smiled.

Haunted by her scheme for marriage, she set to work to undermine Jonah's