‘I’m not a fallen woman!’ cried the girl, wildly, ’I have left my home, but I will go back to it—­anything better than this horrible life on the streets.’

‘Yes, dear,’ said the woman, softly, ’go home; go home, for God’s sake, and if you have a father and mother to shield you from harm, thank heaven for that.  Let me kiss you once,’ she added, bending forward, ’it is so long since I felt a good woman’s kiss on my lips.  Good-bye.’

‘Good-bye,’ sobbed Kitty, raising her face, and the other bent down and kissed the child-like face, then with a stifled cry, fled away through the moonlit night.

Kitty turned away slowly and walked up the street.  She knew there was a cab starting opposite the Town Hall which went to Richmond, and determined to go home.  After all, hard though her life might be in the future, it would be better than this cruel harshness of the streets.

At the top of the block, just as she was about to cross Swanston Street, a party of young men in evening dress came round the corner singing, and evidently were much exhilarated with wine.  These were none other than Mr Jarper and his friends, who, having imbibed a good deal more than was good for them, were now ripe for any mischief.  Bellthorp and Jarper, both quite intoxicated, were walking arm-in-arm, each trying to keep the other up, so that their walking mostly consisted of wild lurches forward, and required a good deal of balancing.

‘Hullo!’ cried Bellthorp solemnly—­he was always solemn when intoxicated—­’girl—­pretty—­eh!’

’Go ‘way,’ said Barty, staggering back against the wall, ’we’re Christian young men.’

Kitty tried to get away from this inebriated crew, but they all closed round her, and she wrung her hands in despair.  ’If you are gentlemen you will let me go,’ she cried, trying to push past.

‘Give us kiss first,’ said a handsome young fellow, with his hat very much on one side, putting his arm round her waist, ’pay toll, dear.’

She felt his hot breath on her cheek and shrieked out wildly, trying to push him away with all her force.  The young man, however, paid no attention to her cries, but was about to kiss her when he was taken by the back of the neck and thrown into the gutter.

‘Gentlemen!’ said a rich rolling voice, which proceeded from a portly man who had just appeared on the scene.  ‘I am astonished,’ with the emphasis on the first person singular, as if he were a man of great note.

‘Old boy,’ translated Bellthorp to the others, ’is ‘tonished.’

‘You have,’ said the stranger, with an airy wave of his hand, ’the appearance of gentlemen, but, alas! you are but whited sepulchres, fair to look upon, but full of dead men’s bones within.’

‘Jarper,’ said Bellthorp, solemnly, taking Barty’s arm, ’you’re a tombstone with skeleton inside—­come along—­old boy is right—­set of cads ‘suiting an unprotected gal—­good night, sir.’