The miner’s return

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

The rescued miners came through the gate in a confusion of cheers, questions and names. Women ran forward; children were lifted above shoulders. Thomas Dale found his sister standing on the mining office steps as though she had arrived to inspect the weather.

“Mr Dale,” Ellen said when he reached her, “your supper has been spoiling for two hours.”

Thomas’s face, grey with coal dust, divided into a grin. Ellen regarded the chipped tooth, the crooked eyebrow, even the ridiculous curl plastered to his forehead. An hour earlier, memory had refused to supply any of them. Now each small imperfection seemed restored to her with impossible generosity.

“The props gave way—” Thomas began.

“So your stew must suffer for the carelessness of the earth,” she replied. “Very grand.”

Her lightness made him stop smiling. Around them, reunions filled the yard, loud and unashamed.

“Were you certain I would come out?” he asked.

“I was choosing a new tenant for your room.”

He turned towards the road. Ellen called after him. “Thomas, if you had—” The rest vanished beneath the winding wheel’s clatter. When it ceased, she began again. “If you intend to be late, send word next time.”

“Next time,” said Thomas gravely, “I shall.”

Analyse how the writer uses language and structure to reveal Ellen’s attempt to disguise the strength of her relief. Support your answer with references to the passage.