Nora waves her cigarette. I am, she says, and enjoying it down to the last ash. Every puff you take, he starts. I know, she says, I’m taking food out of the mouths of my children. You’re insolent, woman.You’ll get no charity here. Is that a fact? Well,Mr.Quinlivan,if I don’t get it here I know where I will. What are you talking about? I’ll go to the Quakers.They’ll give me the charity. Mr. Quinlivan steps toward Nora and points a finger. Do you know what we have here? We have a souper in our midst.We had the soupers in the Famine.The Protestants went round telling good Catholics that if they gave up their faith and turned Protestant they’d get more soup than their bellies could hold and, God help us, some Catholics took the soup,and were ever after known as soupers and lost their immortal souls doomed to the deepest part of hell.And you, woman, if you go to the Quakers you’ll lose your immortal soul and the souls of your children. Then, Mr. Quinlivan, you’ll have to save us, won’t you? He stares at her and she stares back at him. His eyes wander to the other women. One puts her hand to her mouth to smother a laugh. What are you tittering about? he barks. Oh, nothing, Mr. Quinlivan. Honest to God. I’m  telling  ye  once  more,  no  boots.  And  he  slams  the  door behind him. One  by  one  the  women  are  called  into  the  room. When  Nora comes out she’s smiling and waving a piece of paper. Boots, she says. Three pairs I’m gettin’ for my children.Threaten the men in there with the Quakers and they’ll give you the drawers off their arses. When Mam is called she brings Malachy and me in with her.We stand before a table where three men are sitting asking questions. Mr. Quinlivan  starts  to  say  something  but  the  man  in  the  middle  says, Enough out of you,Quinlivan.If we left it up to you we’d have the poor people of Limerick jumping into the arms of the Protestants. He turns to Mam, he wants to know where she got that fine red coat. She tells him what she told the women outside and when she comes to the death of Margaret she shakes and sobs. She tells the men she’s very sorry for crying like that but it was only a few months ago and she’s not over it yet, not even knowing where her baby was buried if  she  was  buried  at  all,  not  knowing  even  if  she  was  baptized  itself 65