f laughter from the bystanders, and the young men
in chase of her, and Liza, looking up, saw a big, bearded man whom she
had never seen before. She blushed to the very roots of her hair,
quickly extricated herself from his arms, and, amid the jeers and
laughter of everyone, slid into the door of the nearest house and was
lost to view.

2

Liza and her mother were having supper. Mrs. Kemp was an elderly woman,
short, and rather stout, with a red face, and grey hair brushed tight
back over her forehead. She had been a widow for many years, and since
her husband's death had lived with Liza in the ground-floor front room
in which they were now sitting. Her husband had been a soldier, and
from a grateful country she received a pension large enough to keep
her from starvation, and by charring and doing such odd jobs as she
could get she earned a little extra to supply herself with liquor.
Liza was able to make her own living by working at a factory.

Mrs. Kemp was rather sulky this evening.

'Wot was yer doin' this afternoon, Liza?' she asked.

'I was in the street.'

'You're always in the street when I want yer.'

'I didn't know as 'ow yer wanted me, mother,' answered Liza.

'Well, yer might 'ave come ter see! I might 'ave been dead, for all
you knew.'

Liza said nothing.

'My rheumatics was thet bad to-dy, thet I didn't know wot ter do with
myself. The doctor said I was to be rubbed with that stuff 'e give me,
but yer won't never do nothin' for me.'

'Well, mother,' said Liza, 'your rheumatics was all right yesterday.'

'I know wot you was doin'; you was showin' off thet new dress of
yours. Pretty waste of money thet is, instead of givin' it me ter sive
up. An' for the matter of thet, I wanted a new dress far worse than
you did. But, of course, I don't matter.'

Liza did not answer, and Mrs. Kemp, having nothing more to say,
continued her supper in silence.

It was Liza who spoke next.

'There's some new people moved in the street. 'Ave you seen 'em?' she
asked.

'No, wot are they?'

'I dunno; I've seen a chap, a big chap with a beard. I think 'e lives
up at the other end.'

She felt herself blushing a little.

'No one any good you be sure,' said Mrs. Kemp. 'I can't swaller these
new people as are comin' in; the street ain't wot it was when I fust
come.'

When they had done, Mrs. Kemp got up, and having finished her half-pint
of beer, said to her daughter:

'Put the things awy, Liza. I'