The Admirable Tinker | Page 6

me where she lived. I had my savings, too; so I gave up
my place, and came to London to look for her. I knew she lived in

South London from something she let drop; and I took a room in
Lambeth and looked for her in neighbourhoods which would be likely
for her to live in. But it's a large place, sir, and I was months and
months doing it, moving from neighbourhood to neighbourhood. I used
to trapse and trapse about all day, and at night I used to go into Publics,
the saloon bars as well as the common bars, for I didn't know which
class she really belonged to. I went into hundreds of Publics, but I
never set eyes on her. Then, last October, when I'd nearly come to the
end of my savings, I saw her going into a Public at New Cross. I
couldn't believe it; it seemed too good to be true. I thought I must have
made a mistake; I daren't go in, for fear she should know me; and I
thought she never would come out. When she did come out, and I saw
it was really 'er, I nearly fainted right away; but I follered 'er, and she
went from Public to Public with two shops in between, and it was
nearly ten o'clock when she took the tram, and past eleven when she
got to her cottage at Catford, for she stopped at two more Publics. But I
walked about all night, for I wasn't going to take no chances; and next
morning I found, sure enough, that the child was there. But he was that
changed, and he didn't know me." Her harsh voice sank to the
mournfullest tone; and she paused.
Sir Tancred said nothing, he could say nothing; he was amazed and
profoundly touched by the persistence of this passionate, single-eyed
devotion in this hard-featured, harsh-voiced, rugged creature.
"Well, sir," Selina went on, "I moved to Eltham, and took a room. I
soon found out what sort the Bostocks were. Every Saturday they drew
two pounds for the keep of the child; and they were hardly ever sober
till Thursday. And they starved the child, sir; and sometimes they beat
him. Now and then, when they were drunk, I've got food, good food to
him. But not often, for he was their livelihood, and however drunk they
was, they kept an eye on him; mostly he's locked up in a bedroom. I
wrote to you, sir, three times, and waited and waited for answers till I
was sick at heart; and things was getting worse and worse. I couldn't
have stood it any longer; I was just going to steal him and carry him off
somewhere where I could look after him without no one interfering.
But I thought I'd see you, and tell you about it first. And now, sir, if

you'd let me have charge of him"--her eyes fairly blazed with
eagerness--"I'd look after him properly--I would, indeed. And I
shouldn't want no two pounds a week--why, five shillings, five shillings
would be ample, sir. I'm a capable woman, and I can get as much
charring as ever I can do."
"Of course, you shall have charge of him," said Sir Tancred. "You
seem to be the only person in the world who has any right to have
charge of him."
"Oh, thank you, sir!" said Selina in a husky voice; and she dabbed at
her eyes.
"It's not for you to thank me; it's for me to thank you," said Sir Tancred.
"Oh, no, sir!" said Selina quickly. "I know what gentlemen are. I've
been in service in good houses. They have their sport and their
pleasures; and they can't attend to things like this."
"I've been looking for him for six months--ever since I knew that I had
a child," said Sir Tancred in a very bitter voice.
"Have you now, sir?" said Selina. "Ah, if I'd only known, and come to
you!"
Her story had tided them over the greater part of their journey; and for
the rest of it they were silent, Sir Tancred immersed in a bitter reverie,
Selina sitting with a hand on each knee, bent forward, with shining eyes,
breathing quickly.
Towards the end of their journey she had to direct the cabman; and past
the last long row or little red-brick villas, in a waste from which the
agriculturalist had retired in favour of the jerry-builder, they came to
the goal, three dirty, tumble-down cottages. The cab stopped at the
third cottage; Selina sat back in the seat and pulled down her veil, in
case Mrs. Bostock should recognise her; Sir Tancred got down and
knocked at the door. A long-drawn snore was the only answer. He