Fagin's Girl by Karen McCombie

Author:Karen McCombie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Barrington Stoke Ltd
Published: 2022-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

Would he tell Mr Fagin if he did? Mouse might not have the words, but he could pull off my cap in front of the other lads and Mr Fagin if he wanted to …

I needed to do something fast. And I thought of one of the shops I had seen on the way here that first day.

With my plan, I would make myself safe and earn some money at the same time!

CHAPTER 8

A snip and a chop!

Mr Fagin was nowhere to be seen when I left the warehouse.

In the streets outside, I took a wrong turn or two as I tried to find my way, passing so many things for sale.

There were penny pie shops selling meat puddings and eel pies. Shops that sold caged birds that would brighten a shabby room with their songs, and sparrows with string on their legs for children to play with.

Stalls sold teapots, hot coffee to drink, rat poison, pea soup and old top hats that were frayed and worn but still smart.

Handcarts were heaped with slices of pineapple, bundles of asparagus and watercress, and even small squares of turf for the bottoms of bird cages.

And then there was the entertainment on many of the street corners. A German band played their lively music. An Italian woman sang opera. A man turned the handle of his organ and the tiny monkey chained on top of it danced for the delighted crowds.

But I had little time to stop and listen to any of them. I hurried this way and that till I found the alley and the shop I was looking for.

“What do you want, boy?” asked the woman leaning on the door.

I pulled my cap off, showing her my long braids that reached nearly down to my waist. “How much for this, madam?” I asked, holding up one of my braids.

The woman looked surprised to see that this “boy” was in fact a girl. But then she took the braid and undid the ribbon that held it. She fanned out the hair in her hand. It was brick red, just like Mother’s had been. The woman put one hand in the pocket of her apron and drew out some coins.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.