gle of the mews. They were talking, and I moved the
ladder to get a place nearer to them and not to be seen; for to watch
and hear women who thought themselves unobserved and unheard, was always
a delight to me. If you ever hear two women talking on amorous subjects,
their disclosures you will find are always charming to a man.

At the angle of our garden, and just where the road joined the mews, a
large notice-board had been put up for some purpose since I had lived
there; it was just outside and higher than our wall. Between the back of
it and the wall was a space of a few inches. Our ivy had grown up it
at places, and filled up most of the space, but enough was left at
the angle to let me look down on the barrow which was just outside the
mews-gate, out of the way of what small traffic there was, the gate of
the mews being wide open. Then of all my eaves dropping I have never yet
heard anything so amusing as I did then. The air was solemnly quiet in
the hot summer's afternoon and though the girls spoke quite softly, I
heard them well.

"I should like to feel what it is like," said the youngest whose face
was towards me. There was a mixture of fun, audacity, curiosity and
lewdness on that girl's face. "Hish! some one will hear you," and
something else I could not hear, said the other. "_Fuck_--there then,"
said the young one saucily and laughing. The older gave her a slap. "Now
you may take the things home alone,--I won't help." "If you don't I'll
tell mother." "Don't care." "Yes you do,--what did you say it
for?" "Didn't _you_ say it?" "I didn't bawl it out you fool."
"_Fuck_,--there,--there," said the younger going off. "There it may stay
then," said the older angrily, and she moved also off round the corner.
They were both out of sight in a second, but I heard their voices
quarrelling, the barrow and clothes-baskets were unattended just outside
the mews-gate.

A labouring man came along in the opposite direction. Seeing the barrow
he stood and looked round in all directions, turned into the mews, and
I think he was going to steal, but thought better of it. I had peeped
quite round the board, but had dropped into the old place again, the
man turned to the wall, and pissed just under me, his head turned, and
looking at the clothes-baskets all the time, then he drew the foreskin
backwards and forwards when he had finished, till his prick was
standing, an article any man might have been proud of; he played
with it,