[Sketches by Boz by Charles Dickens]@TWC D-Link bookSketches by Boz CHAPTER XXII--GIN-SHOPS 6/7
'Gin for you, sir ?' says the young lady when she has drawn it: carefully looking every way but the right one, to show that the wink had no effect upon her.
'For me, Mary, my dear,' replies the gentleman in brown.
'My name an't Mary as it happens,' says the young girl, rather relaxing as she delivers the change.
'Well, if it an't, it ought to be,' responds the irresistible one; 'all the Marys as ever _I_ see, was handsome gals.' Here the young lady, not precisely remembering how blushes are managed in such cases, abruptly ends the flirtation by addressing the female in the faded feathers who has just entered, and who, after stating explicitly, to prevent any subsequent misunderstanding, that 'this gentleman pays,' calls for 'a glass of port wine and a bit of sugar.' Those two old men who came in 'just to have a drain,' finished their third quartern a few seconds ago; they have made themselves crying drunk; and the fat comfortable-looking elderly women, who had 'a glass of rum-srub' each, having chimed in with their complaints on the hardness of the times, one of the women has agreed to stand a glass round, jocularly observing that 'grief never mended no broken bones, and as good people's wery scarce, what I says is, make the most on 'em, and that's all about it!' a sentiment which appears to afford unlimited satisfaction to those who have nothing to pay. It is growing late, and the throng of men, women, and children, who have been constantly going in and out, dwindles down to two or three occasional stragglers--cold, wretched-looking creatures, in the last stage of emaciation and disease.
The knot of Irish labourers at the lower end of the place, who have been alternately shaking hands with, and threatening the life of each other, for the last hour, become furious in their disputes, and finding it impossible to silence one man, who is particularly anxious to adjust the difference, they resort to the expedient of knocking him down and jumping on him afterwards.
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