Madame Flirt

room. The maid had brought in a cup

ight, Hannah," sa

. Your cloak's spoilt. What a pity! Take it off and let me

of the bed for a minute or two before she commenced her toilette. Hannah helped he

sked Lavinia, when this part of

any for a time I'm t

y shoes? Whatev

a while. She was for keeping you for a day or tw

in dismay. The

t. I won't, Hannah! You'll he

what's going to

e my gaoler and you can let

to hand over the k

an after

pose I'm to say to h

elieve you're afraid of anybody. You'

I warn you, child, I'm not g

night before she felt she could face anything. She knew she could talk over the good

hocolate while she pondered over what she should do. She could think of no one

he murmured,-"didn't he say I had

purse she had placed there before going to sleep. Excitement and exhaustion had driven it out of her

ant I'll never set eyes on him

r ring at each end to keep the contents safe, and an opening between the rings. One end had money in it, in the other a piece o

adn't the chance. It isn't mine. I ought to return it to him. But

wner's affairs. It must be something precious for him to carry it about with him. Suppose it was a love letter from his sweethe

uke's

n's Inn

ir

ith return it. I doubt not it ha

obedient hu

n Ri

ot Van

o have such a rude letter. 'Obedient-humble-servan

second letter. It was more

nott pay me my nine weeks' rent you owe me by twelve o'clock to-morrer I shall at wunce take possesshun

of respect indeed,"

hat moment be homeless in the street and maybe arrested for debt and taken to the Fleet or even Newgate. Hadn't she seen the poor starving debtors stretch their hands through the "Debtors' doo

en shillings! Twenty-seven shillings? Was n

" cried Lavinia, clasping her hands in

out upon a broad gutter and was three storeys from the street. If it were possible to lower herself she certainly could not do so in the dayt

ter. She hadn't any clear idea what to do beyond taking stock of her surroundings. She looked over the parapet. It seemed a fearful depth down to the roadway. Even if she had

re was no danger of her being seen even if the room had any occupants. She crawled onward,

red the glass. One of the small panes was broken. Gathering courage she craned her head and looked through the opening. The ro

ain. Why not explore the premises? Up till now she had forgotten her lost shoe. To pursue her investigations unsuitably

e put on that for the left foot. It was a little too large but near enough. Then she hurried on her hooded cloak and once more tackled the gutter. She was a

ad accumulated till they formed a soft covering of nearly a quarter of an inch thi

hes of the ceiling had fallen. But Lavinia hardly noticed anything as she flew down the stairs. The lock could not be opened from the outside without the key, but inside the handle had but to be pushed back and she was

ll, many fragments of which were then standing, and she had to pass through the Cripples Gate before she reached the squalid quarter bordering Moor

re so close together that at the top floor one could jump across to the opposite side without much difficulty. With beating hear

if Mr. Vane lives

him, so civil spoken and nice to everybody, not a bit like some o' them scribblers as do nothing but drink gin day an' night. Street's full of 'em. I can't make out what they does for a

iving ascended the stairs. She remembered the name, Solomon Moggs. He was the landlord. If his n

t looks like it with that bandage round your head. You scribbling gentry, the whole bunch of ye, aren't much good. I don't see the use of

door of a front room. In the doorway was a little man in a shabby coat which reached down to his heels. His wig was frowsy, his th

on ones but of the early Queen Anne fashion with leathern seats-an old escritoire, were strewn with papers. The occ

r. He turned, stared and seeing only a

e owe you?" said Lavin

llings a week comes to twenty-seven shillings. There ought to be a bit for the lawyer

the grimy outstretched paw. Mog

you've saved from being turned into the street'll thank

red. His face was very pallid and he clutched the door to steady himself. What with

manded. "I'm not going t

a rather disappointed tone. She

It's mine and it's not going into anybody else's p

d to Vane a l

idn't want it but you did and so I brought it back. I'm so

e were mixed up in his mind and he had but a dim remembrance of th

y those ruffians?" he stammered. "I'm

brave and kind. I was too frightened last night to think of anyt

stand there, pray. Do come inside. It's a fri

must ge

hope. I've so much I wo

We're such strange

every minute we talk together

s curtained off and the opening between the curtains revealed a bed. The furniture was not what one would expect to find in a garret. It was good and solid but undusted and the upholstery was faded. The general a

d in lifting a big folio from the chair. He could hardly use his right arm. She saw his hollow cheeks and the dark circles beneath his

sit down?

ook he

said, holding out his purse

spent a farthing on yourself

ish when you want

wouldn't have been here no

. The same thought

now I lived he

and read what was on the papers inside. It w

e an angel. Not many young ladies of your station wo

ed on Lavinia'

then do you thin

u to be a lady, madam. I d

n to that-her manner and air were those of a lady of quality-thanks to Miss Pinwell-but apart from these externals what was she? A

e bitter truth the lau

-for your sake," said she softly. "You l

hings, I daresay, that I haven

rooch fastening her cloak. The brooch was the gift of Do

-I've forgott

ly. "Though to be sure there's nothing in this hovel

"Yes, I'll come again soon. I don't know how

mean that?" he

pens to prevent me.

of her fingers and kissed them. One bri

had never been able to inspire-Lavinia flew down the staircase