ent on, they commenced talking, Liza leaning against the wall of
a house, while Tom stood in front of her, smiling with pleasure.

'Where 'ave you been idin' yerself, Tom? I ain't seen yer for I dunno
'ow long.'

'I've been abaht as usual; an' I've seen you when you didn't see me.'

'Well, yer might 'ave come up and said good mornin' when you see me.'

'I didn't want ter force myself on, yer, Liza.'

'Garn! You are a bloomin' cuckoo. I'm blowed!'

'I thought yer didn't like me 'angin' round yer; so I kep' awy.'

'Why, yer talks as if I didn't like yer. Yer don't think I'd 'ave come
aht beanfeastin' with yer if I 'adn't liked yer?'

Liza was really very dishonest, but she felt so happy this morning
that she loved the whole world, and of course Tom came in with the
others. She looked very kindly at him, and he was so affected that a
great lump came in his throat and he could not speak.

Liza's eyes turned to Jim's house, and she saw coming out of the door
a girl of about her own age; she fancied she saw in her some likeness
to Jim.

'Say, Tom,' she asked, 'thet ain't Blakeston's daughter, is it?'

'Yus thet's it.'

'I'll go an' speak to 'er,' said Liza, leaving Tom and going over the
road.

'You're Polly Blakeston, ain't yer?' she said.

'Thet's me!' said the girl.

'I thought you was. Your dad, 'e says ter me, "You dunno my daughter,
Polly, do yer?" says 'e. "Na," says I, "I don't." "Well," says 'e,
"You can't miss 'er when you see 'er." An' right enough I didn't.'

'Mother says I'm all father, an' there ain't nothin' of 'er in me. Dad
says it's lucky it ain't the other wy abaht, or e'd 'ave got a
divorce.'

They both laughed.

'Where are you goin' now?' asked Liza, looking at the slop-basin she
was carrying.

'I was just goin' dahn into the road ter get some ice-cream for
dinner. Father 'ad a bit of luck last night, 'e says, and 'e'd stand
the lot of us ice-cream for dinner ter-day.'

'I'll come with yer if yer like.'

'Come on!' And, already friends, they walked arm-in-arm to the
Westminster Bridge Road. Then they went along till they came to a
stall where an Italian was selling the required commodity, and having
had a taste apiece to see if they liked it, Polly planked down
sixpence and had her basin filled with a poisonous-looking mixture of
red and white ice-cream.

On the way back, looking up the street, Polly cried:

'There's father!'

Liza's heart beat rapidly and she turned red; b