'No,' said the man, 'but I fancy you mean the Essex Street Beauty,
don't you? I haven't seen her for a long while now, but her dodge
used to be to come here on rainy nights, and stand bare-headed and
sing and sell just when the theatres was a-bustin'. She gets a good
lot, I fancy, by that dodge.'
'The Essex Street Beauty?'
'Oh, I thought you know'd p'raps. She's a strornary pretty
beggar-wench, with blue eyes and black hair, as used to stand at the
corner of Essex Street, Strand, and the money as that gal got
a-holdin' out her matches and a-sayin' texes out of the Bible must
ha' been strornary. So the Essex Street Beauty's bin about here agin
on the rainy-night dodge, 'es she? Well, it must have been the fust
time for many a long day, for I've never seen her now for a long
time. She couldn't ha' stood about here for many minutes; if she had
I must ha' seen her.'
I staggered away from him, and passed and repassed the spot many
times. Then I extended my beat about the neighbouring streets,
loitering at every corner where a basket-girl or a flower-girl might
be likely to stand.
Pages:
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433