A little dazed, he
still groped his way to the spot where Ellen had thrown the beans. A
man was there with a fruit barrow, busy, apparently, rearranging his
stock. Something about his appearance struck Burton with a chill
premonition. He came to a standstill and looked at him.
"Did you wish to buy any fruit, sir?" the man asked, in a tone unusually
subdued for one of his class.
Burton shook his head.
"I was just wondering what you were doing," he remarked.
The man hesitated.
"To tell you the truth, guvnor," he confessed, "I was mixing up my
apples and bananas a bit. You see, those at the top were all the best,
and it has been my custom to add a few from underneath there--most of
them a little going off. It was the only way," he added with a sigh,
"that one could make a profit. I have made up my mind, though, to
either throw them away or sell them separately for what they are worth,
which isn't much. I've had enough of deceiving the public. If I can't
get a living honestly with this barrow, I'll try another job."
"Do you happen to have eaten anything just lately?" Burton asked him,
with a sinking heart.
The man looked at his questioner, for a moment, doubtfully.
"'Ad my breakfast at seven," he replied.
Pages:
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124