She also cleverly talked the shopkeeper into allowing her something on
the discarded odd ones and thereby saved a shilling.
The girl's old life in roaming about the streets had sharpened her wits.
Adversity had taught her much. It had given her a knowledge of persons
and things denied to those to whom life had always been made easy. She
had had sundry acquaintances among the pretty orange girls who plied
their trade at Drury Lane and the Duke's theatres and had got to know
how useful Dr. Mountchance was in buying presents bestowed upon them by
young bloods flushed with wine, and in other ways. Hence when in want of
money she looked upon her brooch she at once thought of the old man's
shop on London Bridge.
The taverns in those days were real houses of refreshment. Food could be
had at most of them as well as drink. Still a girl needed some courage
to enter. The men she might meet were ready to make free in far too
familiar a fashion. Lavinia stopped in front of the "Green Dragon" near
the Cripples Gate, but hesitated. Many months had passed since the time
when she would have boldly walked into the galleried inn-yard and asked
for what she wanted. The refining influence of Miss Pinwell's genteel
establishment had made her loathe the low life in which her early years
had been passed.
"They can't eat me," she thought. "Besides, the poor fellow is
starving.
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