Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE SHAWL BUYER. AN INCIDENT OF 1843. Branching off from one of those wide, leading, ever- crowded streets, which are aptly called the arteries of the metropolis, is a certain insignificant turning, which not even boasting itself as a thoroughfare, is seldom remarked by the hurried pedestrian, unless he have business in one of the half dozen dull, dingy looking houses which rise on each side of the avenue. Yet at one corner, with windows embracing both sides of the house, is a certain shop, which may be called linen- draper's, hosier's, glover's, or, if you will, an outfitting warehouse — so varied and crowded does the merchandise seem. Perhaps, however, my readers will better understand the description if I call it a ticketing shop. Yes, there are doubtless at this moment suspended the Brobdignag tickets expressive of shillings, accompanied by microscopic pence ; while ribbons, gloves, and other trifling wares, are placed temptingly forward, decorated with legible inky intimations of pence, which on a nearer inspection one finds encumbered with mystical figures, traced as it appears, by an HH. pencil, and signifying three farthings. The shop doorfaces the great thoroughfare ; the private door is in the narrow, unfrequented street. The latter is but little used ; and on the step of it on a certain day, last October, were seated two meanly clad women. Both were apparently in abject poverty — nay, they might be mendicants, for aught the passer-by could tell; yet if he paused a moment, and his eyes had the privilege of direct communication with his understanding, he would feel assured that they were very different beings. Companions, associates, they might be, and were, the strange fellow-laborers which adversity yokes together; but this was all. The younger of the two, who ...