Marcus bowed his head ironically.

"I'll finish, Carolan. A real criminal can buy the best Newgate has to offer. That's true! Life is a wicked old strumpet; she's devishly sly and mercenary; but laugh with her and she'll laugh with you. Even in Newgate, laugh at her and she likes it!”

"Your words hurt Esther," said Carolan.

"I am sorry, Esther." His eyes, Carolan noted, were almost caressing as they rested on the girl.

"But it is necessary always to face facts. Where shall we be if we do not? The answer is obvious... in Newgate most likely without a penny piece to buy a bit of extra bread. Carolan agrees with me. Carolan. I think you and I are of the same mind on lots of subjects. The thought warms me. You and I...”

Carolan broke in impatiently: "We are certainly not of the same mind!

Do you think I admired your way of life? You are a thief You are ...

It is that people should be sent to this vile place before they have been found guilty ..." She broke off angrily.

"Oh How I hate that creature, Crew.”

"Do not hate him. Carolan. He was following his trade. He probably relies on what he gets by these activities of his. I doubt whether he enjoyed the whole of the forty pounds he got for betraying an escaped convict; or even what he picked up on account of you and your mother and Millie. And he worked very hard for his reward and his Tyburn ticket.”

"You would make excuses for him!”

"For him and for us all." said Marcus.

"Absurd!”

"Doubtless.”

"You wish. I think to be contrary. You excuse a man who has brought Mamma... to that!”

Tears filled her eyes; all the blazing indignation had left her; there was only hopelessness in her now.

"Carolan!" he said tenderly.

"Carolan..." The door was pushed open slowly, and a tousled head appeared. It belonged to a black-haired, black-eyed young woman with large gilt earrings swinging in her ears, and a red silk blouse stretched tightly across her full bosom. She raised heavy black brows, and surveyed them.

"Hello. Will." she said in a drawling voice.

"Is it company then?”

"Rather an unnecessary question, Lucy, since I have always been led to believe you have a very sharp pair of eyes!”

His voice,was silky with suppressed anger; hers was rough with it.

Instinctively Carolan guessed at the relationship between them.

"Well," said Lucy, "I was never one to intrude. I will say goodnight!”

"Goodnight, Lucy.”

The door slammed.

Carolan met Marcus's eyes; he smiled briefly.

"A friend of mine," he said.

"In for passing counterfeit coin.”

"Obviously a monied friend," said Carolan.

"Like you, she seems to enjoy her freedom!”

"She seemed angry with us," said Esther.

"She seemed as if she knew we came from the Common Side.”

Carolan smiled tenderly at Esther. How innocent she was. It would not occur to her that this Marcus, who had been so kind to them, was a rake, a philanderer, a libertine. Poor Esther! Her upbringing had been such that the bad and the good were divided into two distinct lots all bad and all good. Esther had much to learn.

"I do not think I liked her very much," said Kitty. Kitty had drunk a little too freely of the wine; she felt pleasantly drowsy. She leaned her head on her hands and closed her eyes. Esther had drunk but little of the wine, but she too was sleepy. Carolan felt wide-awake, excited by the change in her circumstances, by the presence of Marcus who now more than ever he had. aroused in her mixed emotions.

He twirled the wine in his glass and leaned towards her suddenly.

He said: "Come, Carolan! Out with it! You are thinking with great disapproval of my friend, Lucy, are you not?”

"Why should I?”

"I do not know why. Carolan; I only know you do.”

"I cannot see why I should concern myself with your friends.”

"Darling Carolan," he whispered, 'you were so angry; you flew to such conclusion that you made hope soar in my wicked breast.”

"You talk in riddles.”

He caught her wrist; his fingers were warm. She looked down at them; his hands had always attracted her, the hands that picked pockets so deftly, that were his stock in trade.

"No, Carolan. We understand each other well enough. We might understand each other better. Carolan, it will grieve me very much to think of you and your mother and friend Esther, and poor Millie, going back to the foul felons' side.”

She shuddered.

"Do not let us think of it. It has been a great treat for us to taste real food again, to eat it in comfort.”

"Were you very angry about Lucy?”

"Angry?”

"Sparks flew from your eyes.”

"Ridiculous! How could they?”

"A figure of speech, of course. But I saw all sorts of things in your eyes. I myself was angry with her for coming in like that; and then I was glad she did.”

"You are very imaginative.”

"No ... merely observant. See how your mother sleeps. And poor little Esther, she is nodding too. What a difference one meal has made to them! Perhaps, too, it is the quiet of this room. What say you?”

"I am frightened for my mother; she is brighter now, but there is a terrible change in her.”

 "I will be frank with you, Carolan, because, although I am a fool and a rogue, I have enough sense to know that one must always be frank with you. Lucy was my friend ... a great friend. She is a generous soul, and life has dealt cruelly with her as it has with us. We helped to give each other a few home comforts here in Newgate... do you understand?”

"Of course. But is it necessary to explain this to me?”

"It is very necessary. Carolan, from the moment I first saw you I knew there was something different about you.”

"So you stole my handkerchief! There was not much else since I had already lost my purse. You must have been very disappointed.”

"How you fly into a passion, my dear! Look!" He put his hand inside his jacket and produced the handkerchief.

"I carry it always.”

"Why?”

"Surely you know.”

"Sentiment? You should never let sentiment stand in the way of common sense, and does it not show a lack of common sense to carry a worthless handkerchief about with you?”

"You are quick! Do you hate me, Carolan?”

"How absurd! Of course not.”

"Then since you cannot hate me, perhaps you could love me.”

"I think this is an absurd conversation which does not lead us anywhere. Look at that poor child Esther!”

 "Poor child Esther! She is not strong, and yet doubtless before she came to this place she was well enough. Newgate gnaws the strength out of a man or woman.”

"Unless he knows how to live there!”

"Wise Carolan. Do you know?”

"I do not understand you.”

His grip on her wrist tightened.

"Stay with me," he said.

"Stay with me here. No! Do not fly into another passion. Listen! Be wise. I will strike a bargain with you. Stay here with me, live in as much comfort as money will buy in Newgate. Your mother, your friend Esther and poor Millie shall have a room like this one; food shall be sent in to them. And you... share this with me.”

She leaped to her feet, her cheeks flaming red.

"Do you think I am one of your Lucys?.”

"No! Assuredly I do not.”

"Have you forgotten that I am to be married in a short while?”

"You will not marry your parson, Carolan.”

"I think it is time we left you. I .think it is a pity we ever accepted your hospitality.”

"Listen! How will he know what is happening to you? If it were possible to get a message to him, then he might know, but whether he came for you would be another matter. Money would send that message, Carolan. Suppose I held that out as a further inducement?”

"You are vile!”

"I am, alas. And you are very desirable, which makes me my vile self.”

"Mamma!" cried Carolan.

"Esther! It is time we went." She nodded towards Millie, who had been watching them with bright, unintelligent eyes.

"Wake them," said Carolan.

"We must go now.”

"Remember the misery of the felons' side. Carolan," whispered Marcus.

"Remember it! I shall never forget it as long as I live.”

"And you will go back to it!”

"Assuredly I will go back to it.”

"And allow them to go back to it?”

"They would not wish it otherwise that I know.”

"And do you hate me very much, Carolan?”

"Hate! That is too strong an emotion to waste upon such as you. Let us say that I despise you... that I never wish to see you again ... And I heartily wish that I had never eaten your food!”

"It is easy to say that after the feast, Carolan. Would you have said it when you stood at my side and I fed you over my shoulder?”

"Oh, let me go!”

"You disappoint me. Carolan. You prefer that foul place and that foul company to this room and mine.”

"Yes," she replied, "I do prefer it! Mammal Esther!" She shook them.

"It is time we went. Come along!”

Kitty opened her eyes.

"I dreamed," she said, 'that we were in a beautiful house in the country... Darrell and I, and you, Carolan ...”

"Wake up now," said Carolan.

"It is time we were back.”

"Carolan, must we go back to that frightful place? They won't put those dreadful irons back, will they? This one pair is bad enough.

They cut my skin. It frightens me, Carolan. You know how white my skin used to be ...”

"Esther," said Carolan, 'help me with Mamma.”

Kitty got slowly to her feet; on either side of her stood Carolan and Esther. Millie kept to the background.

Kitty said, with sudden graciousness: Thank you, dear boy! It was a wonderful feast. I hope that some day we shall be in a position to invite you to dine with us.”

"You must come again," said Marcus.

He was looking at Carolan, but she would not meet his eyes. He strode to the door; a turnkey came and conducted them back.

How dingy, how gloomy, how foul the place seemed after that brief respite! Bright eyes peered at them as they returned. What had happened to them? There was no sign of lashes received. Here they were, back again.

Kitty, refreshed and with new hope springing up, became a pale shadow of her talkative self. A group gathered round her; she talked to them.

"We dined with a friend ... a wealthy man. It was a wonderful meal...

We shall go again, of course. It will not be long, I assure you, before we are out of here. We have friends, you know ... it was all a mistake, our coming here ...”

Carolan listened to her mother, and she was filled with fury against Marcus.

Esther said: "He was a charming man, a good man although he spoke so wildly. It is hard to be in such a place and refrain from bitter feelings. But he is a kind man. Do you know, I think it grieved him that he could not afford to take us all out of here and give us a room to ourselves.”

"You think that he wanted to do that?" said Carolan.

"Indeed I do!”

"Then if he wanted to, why did he not do so, do you think?”

"It was doubtless because he had not enough money to buy luxuries for us all.”

Millie was fast asleep. Kitty was still talking excitedly.

Esther's voice was dreamy.

"I think I have never experienced such joy as when I took my first mouthful," she said.

"I feel I would have given my life, if it had been asked, for one mouthful of roast chicken. And there was never such a roast chicken as that one! Did you note how brown and crisp was the outside, and the flesh melted in your mouth like rich butter!”

"You talk of your God," said Carolan.

"It seems to me your belly is your God!”

Tears filled Esther's eyes; Carolan turned away. Ought I, she was thinking, to have given them that room, food ... real food ... to eat every day? Do I set too high a value on myself? It is not too late perhaps ... Her heart began to beat more rapidly, she put her hand over it; it seemed to be leaping up into her throat. He touched something in her, that man, rogue though she knew him to be. She loved Everard; she would wait all her life for Everard. But there was something in the man, Marcus, that moved her, that fascinated her, that tempted her now to say: "I will do it for their sakes." and made her wonder whether, after all, she might not be doing it for her own.