m, and her legs came at times over a grating. I used
to dodge downstairs at times at the workmen's dinner-hour, and have a
look up, and that is how I saw, and began to think of the legs of Mrs.
Smith.

I took a sort of fancy to her, or rather her legs, so plump and clean.
I saw she had a nice clean face with bright brown eyes, and then had
a desire to fuck her. I again had desisted from frigging, had sworn
to myself not to do so again, and now getting strength wanted a woman
badly. Our eyes had often met, I had even got out of her way when
passing her, a courtesy not often then shown by gentlemen to workpeople.
I used to stare at her so, that she began to look confused when I did.
The husband never seemed to notice anything but his dinner, at which he
usually swore. Sometimes I spoke to him about gun-making. I wanted to
poke Mrs. Smith, but there did not seem to be the remotest chance, nor
had I any intention of attempting it, but used to look at her with
my cock standing, and wondering what sort of cunt she had. I had been
brought up religiously, and the idea of having a married woman seemed
shocking. I was shocked when I found that Mary was married. At length I
nodded, smiled, and established a sort of intimacy in that way without
speaking, managing to meet her as it were, quite casually when going to,
or leaving the workshop.

One day the man dined on the step, his wife standing by his side; down I
went to peep up her clothes and heard him rowing. "Why the hell had
she not got him beef instead of mutton; God damn her, why were there
no potatoes!" That was his style. Angry words passed, the voices grew
louder, I heard a loud smack and a strong oath, he had hit his wife and
gone back into the work-shop.

There was a great gabbling of female voices over the grating round Mrs.
Smith. "I would not stand it," said one. "It is a shame," said another.
"He ought to be proud of such a wife, an old beast," said another. The
husband came out again. "I have done my best," said she, "you are not a
man anyhow, or anywhere, for two pins I would run away from you." A loud
oath, and another smack followed.

I heard Mrs. Smith sobbing. "I have had a little drink," said she, "I
told him so. He makes me so unhappy, I must; but I spend scarce a trifle
and it's what I earns myself. Ain't I clean? don't I bring him good
meals?" "You do, you do," said they. "It's a shame," she went on, "he is
not a man, not in bed, not anywhere, not anyh