assistant in Pimlico. Pretty well up, too, 'e was. The way 'e'd shive
yer were sutthin' to see. Shivin'? Yer couldn't call it shivin'; it
were gen'us, thet's what it were. Speccilation rooined 'im. 'E stawted
a small plice of 'is own, and bust. Then 'e took to the turf, and bust
agin. Then Mother begun dress-mikin' and there weren't no dress-mikin'
to be 'ad; so that bust. We was unfortnit. Heve'rythin' as we touched
bust. But we never run no barrers, an' we never was up afore no beaks,
and if there weren't such a thund'rin' lot of us, I shouldn't be doin'
this now. Anywye, I respecs myself. So I'm goin' to start a new pitch
an' chawnce it."

I inquired where the new pitch was to be.

"I'm swoppin' with another boy (EDDUDS 'is nime is) up fur end o' this
street. 'E ain't so perticler as I am. Clerks lives there mostly, an'
the biz ain't so good as it was in my old plice. Them clerks wears
top-'ats, an' consequently they daren't smoke pipes. They cawn't
afford to smoke cigars, and cigarettes is off'rin' eyep'ny oices to a
stawvin' man. So they don't smoke at all, an' don't want no matches.
An' I don't blime 'em, mind yer. Pussonally, I chews--but if I smoked
a pipe I wouldn't do it with one o' them 'ats on. 'Cos why? 'Cos I
believes in a bit o' style. Not that I'm stuck-up as yer might say,
but I don't see no sense in lettin' myself down. If I'd liked I could
'a made it so 'ot fur thet newspiper boy that 'e'd 'ave 'ad to go. I
could 'a mopped up the puddles with 'im if I'd wanted. But I wouldn't.
I wouldn't conterminate myself by so much as 'avin' a word with 'im.
I'd sooner leave--even if I lose money on it. My father were one
for style too, afore 'is shop bust. Thet's 'ow it is, yer see. Some
goes up, and some goes down. We've come down, but I draws the line
somewheer fur all thet--sure's my name's REGGERNALD. An' what do you