The Price of Coal

The living-room of a cottage. 5.20 a.m. in a Lancashire Colliery Village, While Mary Brown lights the fire and makes breakfast, her cousin Jack tries to get a "Yes" to his proposal. She tantalises him, and he goes to work, without her answer. Mary's aunt comes down in alarm, after dreaming as she did when her husband was killed in the pit. The alarm bell sounds, and a neighbour brings news of an accident. Mary wishes to go to the pithead: the older women detain her from such a sight and lock the door, the old women stoical, the girl emotional. Then the tragedy turns to comedy with Jack's return no worse than a broken arm; and he gets his answer from Mary.