Lane, and cut along

Holborn, and there we are in four minutes’ time, as

near as a toucher. This is about a London particular now, ain’t it, miss?”

He seemed quite delighted with it on my account.

‟The fog is very dense indeed!” said I.

‟Not that it affects you, though, I’m sure,” said Mr. Guppy, putting up

the steps. On the contrary, it seems to do you good, miss, judging from ‟

your appearance.”

I knew he meant well in paying me this compliment, so I laughed at

myself for blushing at it when he had shut the door and got upon the

box; and we all three laughed and chatted about our inexperience and

the strangeness of London until we turned up under an archway to our

destination—a narrow street of high houses like an oblong cistern to

hold the fog. There was a confused little crowd of people, principally

children, gathered about the house at which we stopped, which had a

tarnished brass plate on the door with the inscription Jellyby. ‟Don’t be frightened!” said Mr. Guppy, looking in at the coachwindow. One of the young Jellybys been and got his head through the ‟

area railings!”

Oh, poor child,” said I; let me out, if you please!” ‟ ‟

‟Pray be careful of yourself, miss. The young Jellybys are always up to

something,” said Mr. Guppy.

I made my way to the poor child, who was one of the dirtiest little

unfortunates I ever saw, and found him very hot and frightened and

crying loudly, fixed by the neck between two iron railings, while a

milkman and a beadle, with the kindest intentions possible, were

endeavouring to drag him back by the legs, under a general impression

that his skull was compressible by those means. As I found (after

pacifying him) that he was a little boy with a naturally large head, I

thought that perhaps where his head could go, his body could follow,

and mentioned that the best mode of extrication might be to push him

forward. This was so favourably received by the milkman and beadle thatHolborn, and there we are in four minutes’ time, as

near as a toucher. This is about a London particular now, ain’t it, miss?”

He seemed quite delighted with it on my account.

‟The fog is very dense indeed!” said I.

‟Not that it affects you, though, I’m sure,” said Mr. Guppy, putting up

the steps. On the contrary, it seems to do you good, miss, judging from ‟

your appearance.”

I knew he meant well in paying me this compliment, so I laughed at

myself for blushing at it when he had shut the door and got upon the

box; and we all three laughed and chatted about our inexperience and

the strangeness of London until we turned up under an archway to our

destination—a narrow street of high houses like an oblong cistern to

hold the fog. There was a confused little crowd of people, principally

children, gathered about the house at which we stopped, which had a

tarnished brass plate on the door with the inscription Jellyby. ‟Don’t be frightened!” said Mr. Guppy, looking in at the coachwindow. One of the young Jellybys been and got his head through the ‟

area railings!”

Oh, poor child,” said I; let me out, if you please!” ‟ ‟

‟Pray be careful of yourself, miss. The young Jellybys are always up to

something,” said Mr. Guppy.

I made my way to the poor child, who was one of the dirtiest little

unfortunates I ever saw, and found him very hot and frightened and

crying loudly, fixed by the neck between two iron railings, while a

milkman and a beadle, with the kindest intentions possible, were

endeavouring to drag him back by the legs, under a general impression

that his skull was compressible by those means. As I found (after

pacifying him) that he was a little boy with a naturally large head, I

thought that perhaps where his head could go, his body could follow,

and mentioned that the best mode of extrication might be to push him

forward. This was so favourably received by the milkman and beadle that