h inclined to
cry.

'Come on, Liza, don't tike on; I didn't mean no offence.' And he put
his arm round her waist and led her to take their places at the
gallery door. Two tears escaped from the corners of her eyes and ran
down her nose, but she felt very relieved and happy, and let him lead
her where he would.

There was a long string of people waiting at the door, and Liza was
delighted to see a couple of niggers who were helping them to while
away the time of waiting. The niggers sang and danced, and made faces,
while the people looked on with appreciative gravity, like royalty
listening to de Reske, and they were very generous of applause and
halfpence at the end of the performance. Then, when the niggers moved
to the pit doors, paper boys came along offering _Tit-Bits_ and 'extra
specials'; after that three little girls came round and sang
sentimental songs and collected more halfpence. At last a movement ran
through the serpent-like string of people, sounds were heard behind
the door, everyone closed up, the men told the women to keep close and
hold tight; there was a great unbarring and unbolting, the doors were
thrown open, and, like a bursting river, the people surged in.

Half an hour more and the curtain went up. The play was indeed
thrilling. Liza quite forgot her companion, and was intent on the
scene; she watched the incidents breathlessly, trembling with
excitement, almost beside herself at the celebrated hanging incident.
When the curtain fell on the first act she sighed and mopped her face.

'See 'ow 'ot I am.' she said to Jim, giving him her hand.

'Yus, you are!' he remarked, taking it.

'Leave go!' she said, trying to withdraw it from him.

'Not much,' he answered, quite boldly.

'Garn! Leave go!' But he didn't, and she really did not struggle very
violently.

The second act came, and she shrieked over the comic man; and her
laughter rang higher than anyone else's, so that people turned to look
at her, and said:

'She is enjoyin' 'erself.'

Then when the murder came she bit her nails and the sweat stood on her
forehead in great drops; in her excitement she even called out as loud
as she could to the victim, 'Look aht!' It caused a laugh and
slackened the tension, for the whole house was holding its breath as
it looked at the villains listening at the door, creeping silently
forward, crawling like tigers to their prey.

Liza trembling all over, and in her terror threw herself against Ji