of outlawry. She found that, in association with
boys, she could prosecute her quarrel with the world. With them she
wandered far afield from Hagworth Street; with them she tripped along on
many a marauding expedition. For them she acted as decoy, as scout
against policemen. With them she rang the bells of half a street at a
run. With them she broke the windows of empty houses; climbed ladders
and explored roofs and manipulated halfpennies stuck with wax to the
paving-stones. She was queen of the robbers' camp on a tin-sprinkled
waste of building-land. She acquired a fine contempt of girls, and
wished more than ever she had been fortunate enough to be born a boy.
Even Alfie condescended not merely to take notice of her, but also
sometimes to make use of her activity. She looked back with wonder to
the time when she had regarded her brother with a shrinking distaste. He
became her standard of behavior. She saw his point of view when nobody
else could, as on the occasion when he asked Edie if she dared him to
hit her on the head with the bar of iron he was swinging, and when Edie,
having in duty bound dared, found herself with a large cut on the
forehead. Alfie, finding other boys admired it, encouraged her dancing;
and they used to flock round the organs while Jenny learned step-dancing
from big, rough girls who were always to be found in the middle of the
music.

One day, however, Mrs. Raeburn and Mrs. Purkiss, coming back together
from a spring hat foray, walked right into one of Jenny's performances.
Mrs. Raeburn might have endured the shame of it alone, but the company
of her sister upset her power of dealing with an awkward situation. If
in the past she had been inclined to compare Percy and Claude, her
pasty-faced nephews, unfavorably with her own children, on the present
occasion their mother drained the cup of revenge to the dregs.

With Jenny between them, the two sisters walked back to Hagworth Street.

"It isn't as if it was just showing her legs," said Mrs. Purkiss.
"That's bad enough, but I happened to notice she had a hole in her
stocking....

"And those great, common girls she was hollering with. Wherever on earth
can she have picked up with them? Some of Charlie's friends, I
suppose....

"It seems funny that Alfie shouldn't have more shame than go letting his
sister make such a sight of herself, but there, I suppose Alfie takes
after his father....

"All I'm thankful for is that Bill wasn't with us