The Project Gutenberg EBook of Madame Flirt, by Charles E. Pearce

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Title: Madame Flirt
A Romance of 'The Beggar's Opera'

Author: Charles E. Pearce

Release Date: June 10, 2006 [EBook #18547]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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MADAME FLIRT

A ROMANCE OF
"THE BEGGAR'S OPERA"

BY

CHARLES E. PEARCE

_"Why how now Madam Flirt"--Lucy._

AUTHOR OF

"STIRRING DEEDS IN THE GREAT WAR," "A QUEEN OF THE PADDOCK,"
"CORINTHIAN JACK," ETC.

LONDON
STANLEY PAUL & CO.
31, ESSEX STREET, STRAND, W.C.2.

_Printed in Great Britain at the Athenaeum Printing Works, Redhill_

FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1922.

CHAPTER I

"IF YOUR NAME ISN'T POLLY IT OUGHT TO BE"

"As pretty a wench as man ever clapped eyes on. Wake up, Lance, and look
at her."

The portly man of genial aspect sitting in the corner of the bow window
of the Maiden Head Inn at the High Street end of Dyott Street in the
very heart of St. Giles, clapped his sleeping friend on the shoulder and
shook him. The sleeper, a young man whose finely drawn features were
clouded with the dregs of wine, muttered something incoherently, and
with an impatient twist shifted his body in the capacious arm-chair.

"Let him alone, Mr. Gay. When a man's in his cups he's best by himself.
'Twill take him a day's snoring to get rid of his bout. The landlord
here tells me he walked with the mob from Newgate to Tyburn and back and
refreshed himself at every tavern on the way, not forgetting, I warrant
you, to fling away a guinea at the Bowl, the Lamb, and the 'Black Jack'
over yonder, and drink to the long life of the daring rogue in the cart
and the health of the hangman to boot."

"Long life indeed, my lord. A couple of hours at m