'Tis a'most _too_ warm sometimes."
"And is it cheap?" asked Cecile. "For me, and Maurice, and Toby, we
have got to do things _very_ cheap. We shall only be a day or
two in London, and we must do things _very_, very cheap while we
stay."
"Oh! my eyes! hasn't we all to do things cheap? What does you say to
a penny? A penny is wot I pays for a share of a bed, and I s'pose as
you and that ere little chap could have one all to yerselves for
tuppence, and the dawg, he ud lie in for nothink. I calls tuppence
uncommon cheap to be warm for so many hours."
"Tuppence?" said Cecile. "Two pennies for Maurice and me and Toby.
Yes, I suppose that is cheap, Jessie White. I don't know anything
about prices, but it does not sound dear. We will go to your lodgings
if you will tell us the right street, and I hope it is not far away,
for Maurice is very tired."
"No, it ain't far, but you can't go without me; you would not get in
nohow. Now, I works in the factory close by, and I'm just out for an
hour for my dinner. I'll call for you yere, ef you like, at five
o'clock, and take you straight off, and you can get into bed at once.
And now s'pose as we goes and has a bit of dinner? I has tuppence for
my dinner. I did mean to buy a beautiful hartificial flower for my
hat instead, but somehow the sight of you three makes me so starved
as I can't stand it. Will you come to my shop and have dinner too?"
To this proposition Cecile, Maurice (who had awakened), and Toby all
eagerly agreed; and in a moment or two the little party found
themselves being regaled at the ragged girl's directions with great
basins of hot soup and hunches of bread.
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