Page 73 - An Australian Lassie

CHAPTER XVII

TN THE CTTY

The fortune seekers were set down at a street corner near the Quay at half-past six.

When it had come to the matter of crossing the harbour, from the Northern Shore to the Quay, in the punt
(they two sitting in the cart the while), they had found themselves called upon to pay a penny each for the
passage over, which they had enjoyed amazingly. Betty paid both pennies, having the coppers, but she urged
John to be quick and get his shilling changed to pay her back.

At the street corner John suggested leaving her for awhile. "This would be as good a corner as any other for
you, Betty," he said, and slapped the shutters of a chemist's shop as he spoke, "You stand here, and you'll
catch everybody who goes by."

"There's no one going by yet," said Betty. "What are you going to do? You're not going to leave me all
alone?"

"Well," said John, "we might stick together a bit longer, anyway. T'll come back for you. You sing your song,
and T'll just go and see if any shops want a boy. T don't suppose the offices are opened yet. What T'd like is a
good warehouse, and then T'd rise to be manager, and partner. That's the sort of thing. T don't think there's
much in a shop after all, but T'll have to find out where the warehouses are. A tea warehouse is good, I can tell
you. You get sent out to Tndia for the firm, and then come back and are made a partner."

He started off, only to be stopped after he had gone a few steps, by Betty's voice calling, "Get your shilling
changed, T want my penny"; to which he nodded.

Betty had the corner all to herself then. Down the street, and up the street, and down the side street, whichever
way she craned her neck she could see no one.

Tt seemed to her a very good opportunity to try her powers. So she commenced. At first it must be confessed
she made no more sound than she had done in talking to John. And the street was so used to voices that it did
not open an eye.

Therefore Betty grew bolder, and forgot in singing that she was not at the bend in the old home-road, where
she had practised once or twice since she had decided upon her career. Her voice rose clearly--shrilly--and
sometimes she remembered the tune quite fairly. When she forgot it, she filled in what would have otherwise
been a pause with a little bit out of any other tune that came into her head.

For those who would like to know the words of the song she was singing, and who may not have it among
their mother's girlhood songs, as Betty had, it may be as well to copy them from the paper she held in her
hand to refresh her memory from--

"Please give me a penny, sir; my mother dear is dead, And, oh! T am so hungry, sir--a penny please for bread;
All day T have been asking, but no one heeds my cry, Will you not give me something, or surely T must die?

"Please give me a penny, sir; you won't say 'no' to me, Because T'm poor and ragged, sir, and oh! so cold you
see; We were not always begging--we once were rich like you, But father died a drunkard, and mother she
died too."

Chorus--