W. Pett Ridge

“ The thin, melancholy man does not answer.
"Anyfing wrong with the kid, mister?"
The bandaged boy grins, and is growled at by the melancholy man.
"It's a 'ave of some kind, Mrs. Moriarty. You may bet your boots on that." The woman in the crape bonnet shakes her head as she speaks. "I've seen too much of the world, I 'ave." ”

“ Crape Bonnet hesitates a moment and eventually replaces the penny in her corsage and says she'll hear the next and then see. The four coppers are paid over to the author (thus avoiding the profits of a middleman) and Thomas takes one of the sheets and asks whether he shall 'ave a shy at this. An affirmative nod in reply. Thomas begins. He has sung but one line when his master stops him.
"This, ladies and gentlemen, is not by me, but it is called 'The Railway Smash.' Specially interesting to those of you who are in the 'abit, or whose friends" are in the 'abit, of travelling by train. ”

“ Mrs. Moriarty asks discouragingly "Ph'what's the use of spinding your money on annything if you can't drink ut," and Mrs. Crape Bonnet confesses that there certainly is something in that argument. The penny goes back once more.
Three more selections and then the little crowd tires. It is helped to this state by the fact that the author suddenly turns extremely acid of speech, because they cease buying the works he has for sale. So the crowd shifts to a stall near, to shoot dancing dolls at a halfpenny for three shots. ”