He was a large-headed man, sleepy in appearance at the best of times, but enormously good-natured.  He bent down in a startled way to see if his boots had really done any harm.

‘Well, well, I won’t do it again, Jenny,’ he mumbled.

’Of course, I wonder how often you’ve said that.  As it happens, it’s as well you have got your boots on still.  There’s a girl o’ some kind just come to say as Luke’s locked up for fightin’ in the street.  He sent for you to bail him out.’

‘Why, there!  Tut-tut-tut!  What a fellow that is!  Fightin’?  Why now, didn’t I tell him this afternoon as he looked like pickin’ a quarrel wi’ somebody?  But, I say, Jane, it’s a low-life kind o’ thing for to go a-fightin’ in the streets.’

’Of course it is.  What’ll he come to next, I wonder?  The sooner he gets off to Canada, the better, I sh’d say.  But he’ll not go; he talks an’ talks, an’ it’s all just for showin’ off.’

Mr. Poole had risen.

‘Bail?  Why, I don’t know nothin’ about bail, Jane!  How d’you do it?  I hadn’t never nothing to do with folks as got locked up.’

‘I don’t suppose you never had, Jim, till now.’

‘Nay, hang it, Jenny, I wasn’t for alludin’ to that!  Give me my coat.  How much money have we in the house?  I’ve sixpence ‘apenny i’ my pocket.’

‘It ain’t done with money; you’ll have to sign something, I think.’

’All right.  But I’ll read it first, though.  Who was it as come, did you say?’

’Nay, I don’t know.  She called herself Miss Nancarrow.  I didn’t care to have much to say to her.’

Mrs. Poole was a kindly disposed woman, but, like her average sisters, found charity hard when there was ever so slight an appearance against another of her sex.  We admire this stalwart virtue, you and I, reverencing public opinion; all the same, charity has something to be said for it.

‘Miss Nancarrow, eh?’ said Poole, dragging on his big overcoat.  ‘Don’t know her.  Kennington Road station, is it?’

‘You’d better finish your beer, Jim.’

‘So I will.  Have a bit o’ supper ready for the lad.’

Totty walked as far as the police-station.  She could not bring herself to enter and make inquiries; that look of Mrs. Poole’s would be hard to bear from men.  Her tears were dry now; she stood reading the notices on the board.  A man had deserted his wife and left her chargeable to the parish; there was a reward for his apprehension, ‘That’s the woman’s fault,’ Totty said to herself, ’She’s made his home miserable for him.  If I had a husband, I don’t think he’d want to run away from me.  If he did, well, I should say, ’good riddance.’  Catch me setting the p’lice after him!  The body of a child had been found; a woman answering to a certain description was wanted.  ‘Poor thing!’ thought Totty.  ’She’s more likely to pity than to blame.  They shouldn’t take her if I could help it.’  So she commented on each notice, in accordance with her mood.