A little girl, who worked by herself at her own crossing, gave me some
curious information on the subject.
This child had a peculiarly flat face, with a button of a nose, while
her mouth was scarcely larger than a button-hole. When she spoke, there
was not the slightest expression visible in her features; indeed, one
might have fancied she wore a mask and was talking behind it; but
her eyes were shining the while as brightly as those of a person in a
fever, and kept moving about, restless with her timidity. The green
frock she wore was fastened close to the neck, and was turning into a
kind of mouldy tint; she also wore a black stuff apron, stained with
big patches of gruel, “from feeding baby at home,” as she said. Her
hair was tidily dressed, being drawn tightly back from the forehead,
like the buy-a-broom girls; and as she stood with her hands thrust up
her sleeves, she curtseyed each time before answering, bobbing down
like a float, as though the floor under her had suddenly given way.
“I’m twelve years old, please sir, and my name is Margaret R----, and I
sweep a crossing in New Oxford-street, by Dunn’s-passage, just facing
Moses and Sons’, sir; by the Catholic school, sir. Mother’s been dead
these two year, sir, and father’s a working cutler, sir; and I lives
with him, but he don’t get much to do, and so I’m obligated to help
him, doing what I can, sir. Since mother’s been dead, I’ve had to mind
my little brother and sister, so that I haven’t been to school; but
when I goes a crossing-sweeping I takes them along with me, and they
sits on the steps close by, sir. If it’s wet I has to stop at home and
take care of them, for father depends upon me for looking after them.
Sister’s three and a-half year old, and brother’s five year, so he’s
just beginning to help me, sir. I hope he’ll get something better than
a crossing when he grows up.
“First of all I used to go singing songs in the streets, sir. It was
when father had no work, so he stopped at home and looked after the
children. I used to sing the ‘Red, White, and Blue,’ and ‘Mother, is
the Battle over?’ and ‘The Gipsy Girl,’ and sometimes I’d get fourpence
or fivepence, and sometimes I’d have a chance of making ninepence,
sir. Sometimes, though, I’d take a shilling of a Saturday night in the
markets.
“At last the songs grew so stale people wouldn’t listen to them, and,
as I carn’t read, I couldn’t learn any more, sir. My big brother and
father used to learn me some, but I never could get enough out of them
for the streets; besides, father was out of work still, and we couldn’t
get money enough to buy ballads with, and it’s no good singing without
having them to sell. We live over there, sir, (pointing to a window on
the other side of the narrow street).
“The notion come into my head all of itself to sweep crossings, sir. As
I used to go up Regent-street I used to see men and women, and girls
and boys, sweeping, and the people giving them money, so I thought I’d
do the same thing. That’s how it come about. Just now the weather is so
dry, I don’t go to my crossing, but goes out singing. I’ve learnt some
new songs, such as ‘The Queen of the Navy for ever,’ and ‘The Widow’s
Last Prayer,’ which is about the wars. I only go sweeping in wet
weather, because then’s the best time. When I am there, there’s some
ladies and gentlemen as gives to me regular. I knows them by sight; and
there’s a beer-shop where they give me some bread and cheese whenever I
go.
“I generally takes about sixpence, or sevenpence, or eightpence on
the crossing, from about nine o’clock in the morning till four in the
evening, when I come home. I don’t stop out at nights because father
won’t let me, and I’m got to be home to see to baby.
“My broom costs me twopence ha’penny, and in wet weather it lasts a
week, but in dry weather we seldom uses it.
“When I sees the busses and carriages coming I stands on the side,
for I’m afeard of being runned over. In winter I goes out and cleans
ladies’ doors, general about Lincoln’s-inn, for the housekeepers.
I gets twopence a door, but it takes a long time when the ice is
hardened, so that I carn’t do only about two or three.
“I carn’t tell whether I shall always stop at sweeping, but I’ve no
clothes, and so I carn’t get a situation; for, though I’m small and
young, yet I could do housework, such as cleaning.
“No, sir, there’s no gang on my crossing--I’m all alone. If another
girl or a boy was to come and take it when I’m not there, I should stop
on it as well as him or her, and go shares with ’em.”