The Lights of London Read Online Free PDF Page A

you.
Do you hear me
?’
    This time Tibs actually managed to slip in a few words. ‘All right, Sal, that’s enough. Leave her alone, eh?’ She eased her friend out of the way and reached out to touch Kitty on the sleeve to reassure her, but Kitty, wild-eyed with fear, snatched her arm away as though Tibs was about to grab her. She had no intention of letting anyone lay a single finger on her ever again.
    Tibs dropped her hands to her sides and looked up into Kitty’s face. ‘It’s all right, darling, no one’s gonna hurt you.’ She moved a tentative step closer. ‘Here, you’re soaking. What you been up to? Someone chucked you in the drink, did they?’
    Kitty shook her head frantically and backed away from the garishly made-up women.
    ‘Bloody hell, what a performance.’ Sal rolled her single eye in undisguised annoyance. ‘I hate simpering twerps like her. It’s all toffee, you know. She should be on the boards. Mind you, at least she’s shut her cake-hole at last. That’s something to be thankful for. Come on, Tibs, let’s get going or we’ll miss our chance down the Dog. The third show’ll be starting any …’
    ‘Hang on, Sal.’ Tibs hadn’t taken her eyes off Kitty’s terrified face. ‘That’s better, sweetheart,’ she soothed her. ‘Now, why don’t you tell us what’s happened? You hurt, are you? Someone bash you up or something?’
    Kitty’s mouth turned down, her face crumpled and she began snivelling pitifully.
    Sal started groaning. ‘Leave her alone, Tibs. Can’t you see she’s barmy?’
    ‘No, she ain’t. Look at her. She’s scared.’ Tibs held up her hands as though she were surrendering. ‘Don’t worry, love, I ain’t coming near you and I ain’t gonna touch you. I just wanna help. All right?’ All the while she was talking, Tibs was sighing inwardly; she wouldn’t be able to go to work with this one tagging along. But she couldn’t just leave her. She was too soft to be left alone in an area as tough as this.
    ‘Look, Tibs,’ One-eyed Sal hissed into her ear, ‘you said if you didn’t earn another few bob you was gonna be in trouble with Albert. And that old cow Mrs Bowdall won’t take kindly to you missing giving her her wages neither. So why you have to go and give a flying fart about this soppy mare, whoever she is, I do not know. She ain’t nothing to you. Come on, she’ll be all right. Let’s be on our way.’
    ‘How can I leave her? Especially here of all places.’
    Sal grabbed Tibs’s arm. ‘Easy.’
    She shook herself free. ‘No, Sal. I can’t.’ As she spoke, Tibs smiled gently at Kitty. It seemed to be calming herdown a bit. Either that, or the shock of whatever had happened to her had sent her into some sort of a trance. Tibs had seen people in trances before, in the mesmerist’s act at the Pavilion – and this was pretty much how they looked: pole-axed.
    ‘You can leave her,’ Sal insisted.
    ‘No, Sal, I can’t. Look, thanks for the tip about the Dog and everything, but you go on. If I can, I’ll catch up with you later.’
    ‘You’re too good, Tibs, that’s your trouble.’
    ‘If I was good I’d never have wound up in this dump in the first place, now would I?’ she said with a weak attempt at a smile.
    ‘I’m being a fool to myself,’ Sal bristled, ‘but I’ll do you a favour and hang on for a bit. But only till you see sense, mind.’ With that she folded her arms tightly across her bosom and stared hard at Kitty, daring her to cause any more trouble.
    One-eyed Sal liked Tibs, genuinely so. Not only because she was the sort who’d help anyone – even this dopey great rasher of streaky bacon – but she was a good laugh, who could always be depended on to cheer everyone up. But Sal also had other reasons to wait for her. Tibs was a nice-looking girl, the type who attracted the kind of punters who had lovely fat wallets. And apart from that, it was always useful to have a bit of company on a filthy night like this. You