One thing that ’elped to spoil the evening was that Mrs. Gill wouldn’t go into public’ouses, but to make up for it she went into sweet-stuff shops three times and ’ad ices while they stood and watched ’er and wondered ’ow she could do it.  And arter that she stopped at a place Poplar way, where there was a few swings and roundabouts and things.  She was as skittish as a school-gal, and arter taking pore Sam on the roundabout till ’e didn’t know whether he was on his ’eels or his ’ead, she got ’im into a boat-swing and swung ’im till he felt like a boy on ’is fust v’y’ge.  Arter that she took ’im to the rifle gallery, and afore he had ’ad three shots the man took the gun away from ’im and threatened to send for the police.

It was an expensive evening for all of them, but as Ginger said when they got ’ome they ’ad broken the ice, and he bet Peter Russet ’arf a dollar that afore two days ’ad passed he’d take the nevy’s gal for a walk.  He stepped round by ’imself the next arternoon and made ’imself agreeable to Mrs. Gill, and the day arter they was both so nice and kind that ’e plucked up ’is courage and offered to take Miss Gill to the Zoo.

She said “No” at fust, of course, but arter Ginger ’ad pointed out that Joe was at work all day and couldn’t take ’er ’imself, and that ’e was Joe’s uncle’s best pal, she began to think better of it.

“Why not?” ses her mother.  “Joe wouldn’t mind.  He wouldn’t be so silly as to be jealous o’ Mr. Ginger Dick.”

“Of course not,” ses the gal.  “There’s nothing to be jealous of.”

She let ’er mother and Ginger persuade ’er arter a time, and then she went upstairs to clean herself, and put on a little silver brooch that Ginger said he ’ad picked up coming along.

She took about three-quarters of an hour to get ready, but when she came down, Ginger felt that it was quite worth it.  He couldn’t take ’is eyes off ’er, as the saying goes, and ’e sat by ’er side on the top of the omnibus like a man in a dream.

“This is better than being at sea,” he ses at last.

“Don’t you like the sea?” ses the gal.  “I should like to go to sea myself.”

“I shouldn’t mind the sea if you was there,” ses Ginger.

Miss Gill turned her ’ead away.  “You mustn’t talk to me like that,” she ses in a soft voice.  “Still—­”

“Still wot?” ses Ginger, arter waiting a long time.

“I mean, if I did go to sea, it would be nice to have a friend on board,” she ses.  “I suppose you ain’t afraid of storms, are you?”

“I like ’em,” ses Ginger.

“You look as if you would,” ses the gal, giving ’im a little look under ’er eyelashes.  “It must be nice to be a man and be brave.  I wish I was a man.”

“I don’t,” ses Ginger.

“Why not?” ses the gal, turning her ’ead away agin.

Ginger didn’t answer, he gave ’er elbow a little squeeze instead.  She took it away at once, and Ginger was just wishing he ’adn’t been so foolish, when it came back agin, and they sat for a long time without speaking a word.