Paradise Court Read Online Free PDF

Arthur grabbed his cap and prepared to leave. If there was trouble brewing he wanted to be well clear of it. ‘Don’t ask me,’ he mumbled. There was an inch of beer left in his pint glass. He gulped it down, jammed his cap on his head and called out his farewells. Duke was getting up a head of steam back there behind the bar at the way Chalky was messing his girl about. ‘Night all!’ He threaded his way to the door between smokytables. Everyone had a wary eye on the Chalky White gang. They knew Duke wouldn’t stand any nonsense.
    But as Arthur scuttled out into the street, Robert Parsons came in. Quickly he sized things up, threw his cigarette to the floor and moved in on Chalky. Stockier than the glib warehouseman, but smaller by four or five inches, Robert squared up. Both his hands were clenched into fists, resting at hip height. He thrust out his broad chest and his dark moustache seemed to bristle with anger. White looked down at him, a superior smirk stretched across his thin lips. ‘Watch it, boys, I think we got trouble,’ he sneered.
    Sadie had backed off against the bar into the space afforded by Arthur Ogden’s hasty exit. She felt hot tears of shame brim and prick her eyelids. ‘Leave off, Robert,’ she pleaded. ‘He ain’t doing no harm.’
    â€˜No, and if you’d done as I told you and gone upstairs I when you was asked, we could all have been spared this I blooming circus!’ Duke snapped.
    Sadie fled, her cheeks wet.
    Duke leaned forward on the bar, his hands spread wide. He didn’t mind Robert showing Chalky White who was boss if necessary, but he cast a worried eye over the empty glasses ranged along the bar top. Quickly he removed them to a safe place in the stone sink. Other customers cleared a space around the two men and an air of tense expectation spread through the room. One or two of the boys hanging about on the doorstep crept in to watch the fight.
    â€˜That’s my little sister,’ Robert began slowly. His eyes swivelled from Chalky to the heavy mob ganged up behind him. He’d already clean forgotten his own flirting with Daisy O’Hagan earlier that evening. In his book that was innocent fun, whereas Chalky White was a dirty-minded lout who couldn’t even keep his foul mouth and hands off a fifteen-year-old girl. His fists were raised to chest level now, thrust out in front of him. He’d fight the lot of them if he had to.
    â€˜You don’t say!’ Chalky’s insulting grin stiffened. He pulled at the white cuffs of his best shirt, then back went his shoulders. Hecleared his throat. ‘Now look,’ he said. ‘No point taking this any further, is there?’
    A disappointed sigh went round the room like a great barrage balloon beginning to deflate and sag. Chalky’s mates backed off. Chalky himself thrust his hands into his trouser pockets. ‘I’ll give you a fight any time you want, down at Milo’s that is. But just now I’m busy and my mind’s on other things.’ He grinned, still casually twisting the knife. ‘And I got all my best clobber on.’
    Robert’s glance ran over Chalky’s grey silk necktie neatly knotted between the peaks of his high white collar. He wore a dark waistcoat fully buttoned, with a fancy gold watch chain slung in two loops across his chest. A long fitted jacket over lighter grey trousers and soft leather shoes completed the outfit. It was best clobber all right. Most East-Enders would never hope to own a suit of clothes like that. If they had one once for their own wedding day, it was in pawn by now and only got out for funerals. Robert snorted in disgust. He turned on his heel Chin thrust out, he headed straight upstairs to rant at soft-headed Sadie.
    Chalky winked at his mates. He turned and leaned on the bar. ‘Six pints of best bitter,’ he said to Duke, staring him out without flinching. ‘And have one