Page:Zangwill-King of schnorrers.djvu/349

335 VAGARIES OF A VISCOUNT. 335

always with me, hand in knob. Hard by the Shadwell Basin he came to a halt before a frowsy coffee-house, reflectively removed his pipe from his mouth, and whistled a bar of a once popular air in a peculiar manner. Then he pushed open the bleared glass door, and was lost to view.

After an instant's hesitation I pulled my sombrero over my eyes and strode in after him, plunging into a wave of musty warmth not entirely disagreeable after the frigid street. The boxes were full of queer waterside characters, among whom flitted a young woman robustly beautiful. The Viscount was already smiling at her when I entered. " Bring us the usual," he said, in a rough accent.

" Come along, Jenny, pint and one," impatiently growled a weather-beaten old ruffian in a pilot's cap.

" Pawn your face ! " murmured Jenny, turning to me with an enquiring air.

" Pint and one," I said boldly, in as husky a tone as I could squeeze out.

Several battered visages, evidently belonging to habitues of the place, were bent suspiciously in my direction ; per- haps because my rig-out, though rough, had no flavour of sea-salt or river-mud, for no one took the least notice of Dorking, except the comely attendant. I waited with some curiosity for my fare, which turned out to be nothing more mysterious than a pint of coffee and one thick slice of bread and butter. Not to appear ignorant of the prices ruling, I tendered Jenny a sixpence, whereupon she returned me fourpence-halfpenny. This appeared to me so ridiculously cheap that I had not the courage to offer her the change as I had intended, nor did she seem to expect it. The pint of coffee was served in one great hulking cup such as Gargantua might have quaffed. I took a sip, and found it of the flavour of chalybeate springs. But it was. hot, and I made