Someone called out: " 'Ello, Missus," as I passed. I went on blindly. I saw Fanny turn into one of the hovels and disappear from sight.
Suddenly the folly of what I had done dawned on me. I was lost. Timothy would wonder what had happened. He had been paying for the goods we had bought and suddenly I had darted away. And here I was ... in this place alone ...
Children were squatting on the pavement playing some game; they stopped to stare at me. There was a woman on a doorstep. She pushed the greasy hair back from her face and laughed at me.
Two men ... little more than boys ... were coming towards me.
"Can we 'elp yer, Miss?"
As I stepped back and they came forward, one slipped behind me, the other faced me.
I was filled with terror.
"Fanny!" I called.
But what was the use? She had disappeared. She could not hear me and she had taken no heed of me when she had.
One of the men seized my arm. He was leering at me.
"Good-looking gal," he said meaningfully.
I shouted: "Go away. How dare you!"
And then I heard a voice.
"Angelet!"
It was Timothy. He took hold of the young man who was touching me and threw him to the ground. The other came at him but Timothy was too quick for him. They were spindly youths, ill-nourished, I could see. They were no match for Timothy.
"Angelet ... what on Earth ..." he began.
I pointed to the house. "Fanny," I said. "She has gone in there."
Timothy hesitated for only a second. Then he said: "Come on. We'll go in."
His face was grim. He took a firm hold of my arm and we went towards the hovel which I presumed was Fanny's home.
We were in a dark passage which smelt of damp and decay. A door opened and a woman with a baby in her arms came out and said: "What do you want?"
"Fanny ..."
She jerked her head. "Upstairs."
We mounted the rickety staircase. The banister was broken and water was dripping through the ceiling.
There was a door at the top of the stairs. We opened it and were in a room. A piece of torn cloth had been put up across the window to serve as a curtain. There was a couch from which the springs protruded and which I presumed was used as a bed. But I hardly noticed the room because there was Fanny and with her the woman I judged to be her mother.
Fanny was wearing the blue merino which had lost its pristine freshness. She wore the ribbon in her hair. She looked ashamed and very unhappy.
"Fanny," I said. "Why didn't you speak to me?"
"You didn't ought to have come," she snapped.
"Of course I had to come."
"Likes of you shouldn't be here." It was the old aggression.
"We had to come," said Timothy gently.
"Fan," said her mother. "You ought to go with 'em. You oughtn't to of run away. I told yer."
"I had to, didn't I? 'Cause of 'im."
Poor Mrs. Billings. I could see the wretchedness in her face.
I realized with a rush of gratitude to fate that he was not here and that raised my hopes.
Timothy said, "We want to take you back, Fanny. You were getting on so well."
"That's what I tole her," said her mother.
But Fanny looked at us and scowled. I knew instinctively that it was because she was afraid she would cry and that would be the ultimate weakness.
"I tole her," said Mrs. Billings. "Time after time I tole her. I said, 'You go back to that Mrs. Frances, Fan. It's best for you. You gotter get away.' But she won't. She's always hoping he'll kill hisself ... fall down stairs or something. He did once."
"Mrs. Billings," said Timothy. "We want to take Fanny back. We were getting on so well. You can always come and see her at the Mission ... or wherever she is. Mrs. Frances would like you to come with her, too."
She shook her head. "I couldn't leave 'im," she said. "Not that."
"And what of Fanny?"
"Fanny should go. I tole her ... time after time ..."
"There you are, Fanny," I said. "Your mother wants you to come with us."
"What about him?" said Fanny.
"Leave him to me," said her mother.
"Mum, you come too. It's ever so nice. They're kind. Mrs. Frances and these two ..."
"I can't leave 'im, Fan, you know that."
"But what he does! He's a beast."
"I know ... but I can't leave him."
"But Fanny is coming with us," said Timothy. "We won't go without Fanny."
"He mustn't come back and find you two here," said Fanny aghast.
"So, let's go now," I said. "Come on. Mrs. Billings, you understand. We want to help. Fanny was so happy with us. Please ... it is important for her. Come and see for yourself. Mrs. Frances would find work for you. Come with us ... both of you."
Fanny was looking pleadingly at her mother.
There were tears in the woman's eyes. She shook her head. "I'd never leave him. He's me 'usband when all's said and done."
"Then we will take Fanny," said Timothy firmly.
"Yes, Fan, you go," begged her mother. "Go, girl. It's what I want. It's better you're not 'ere. It's better then. Strike me pink if it ain't. I fret over you, I do. I'm all right on me own. Go, Fan. It's what I want. It's best for you."
"Oh, Mum ..."
"Come on," said Timothy. "Mrs. Billings, thank you. Do remember. There will always be a welcome for you at the Mission."
She nodded. "Take Fanny. It's what I want for her. It's a blessed relief to me ... if she goes."
"He'll knock you about, Mum," said Fanny hesitantly.
"You go. It's what I want. It's best for you ... best for us all."
Fanny was still wavering.
"It's all right, Fanny," I said. "You can do no good here. Your mother will come and see you and perhaps one day you can be together."
I held her hand firmly and drew her to the door.
"I dunno," she began.
"Oh yes, your mother is right. Mrs. Frances is right. She is always right, isn't she? Come on."
At last we took her away.
The journey back was horrifying. I had not realized how far I had come.
I saw the old clothes shop with the second-hand clothes hanging outside the door, the under-nourished children, the cursed gin shops. People called after us. At one stage Fanny turned and stuck her tongue out at them. They laughed at us jeeringly. I think it might have been difficult if they had not known that we came from the Mission; and they had a certain respect for that place.
I wondered where the beast was drinking ... In the gin shop on the corner? What if we came across him? But we were safely past the shop now.
After a long walk we came to the Mission.
Frances' joy at seeing us was great. But at first she gave her attention to Fanny, who went through the same washing process as before. The merino dress and ribbon were sacrificed to the flames and I promised that I would find another exactly like it. The red ribbon could be easily replaced.
While this was in progress we told Frances what had happened.
Timothy said: "I was paying the woman at the stall when I realized that Angelet had gone. I saw her running off. I left everything and hurried after her. I was just in time to see where she was going. I had no idea what it was all about at first because I didn't see Fanny. Unfortunately Angelet had a fair start of me."
"You should never have gone into those streets alone," said Frances, "but I'm glad you did. God knows what might have happened to you."
"Something might if Timothy hadn't come up in time."
"I arrived panting, to see her being accosted by two very unsavory-looking youths."
"Just in time," I said smiling at him. "He played the gallant knight and saved me. Then together we went into the house ... if you can call it a house."
"The living conditions are appalling. I hope we shall be able to do something about that in time. And you saw Mrs. Billings?"