“There was another chap who had prigged a lot of plate. He was an old man, and had a bag crammed with silver, and was a cutting away, with lots of people after him. So I puts my broom across his legs and tumbles him, and when he got up he cut away and left the bag. Ah! I’ve seen a good many games in my time—that I have. The butler of the house the plate had been stole from give me 2l. for doing him that turn.
“Once a gentleman called me, and says he, ‘My man, how long have you been in this square?’ Says I, ‘I’m Billy, and been here a’most all my life.’ Then he says, ‘Can I trust you to take a cheque to Scott, the banker?’ and I answers, ‘That’s as you like,’ for I wasn’t going to press him. It was a heavy cheque, for Mr. Scott, as knows me well—aye, well, he do—says ‘Billy, I can’t give you all in notes, you must stop a bit.’ It nearly filled the bag I had with me. I took it all safe back, and says he, ‘Ah! I knowed it would be all right,’ and he give me a half-sovereign. I should like you to put these things down, ’cos it’s a fine thing for my charackter, and I can show my face with any man for being honest, that’s one good thing.
“I pays 4s. a-week for two rooms, one up and one down, for I couldn’t live in one room. I come to work always near eight o’clock, for you see it takes me some time to clean the knives and boots at Lord B——’s. I get sometimes 1s. and sometimes 1s. 6d. a-week for doing that, and glad I am to have it. It’s only for the servants I does it, not for the quality.
“When I does anythink for the servants, it’s either cleaning boots and knives, or putting letters in the post—that’s it—anythink of that kind. They gives me just what they can, 1d. or 2d. or half a pint of beer when they ha’n’t got any coppers.
“Sometimes I gets a few left-off clothes, but very seldom. I have two suits a-year give me reg’lar, and I goes to a first-rate tailor for ’em, though they don’t make the prime—of course not, yet they’re very good. Now this coat I liked very well when it was new, it was so clean and tidy. No, the tailor don’t show me the pattern-books and that sort of thing: he knows what’s wanted. I won’t never have none of them washing duck breeches; that’s the only thing as I refuses, and the tailor knows that. I looks very nice after Christmas, I can tell you, and I’ve always got a good tidy suit for Sundays, and God bless them as gives ’em to me.
“Every Sunday I gets a hot dinner at Lord B——’s, whether he’s out of town or in town—that’s summat. I gets bits, too, give me, so that I don’t buy a dinner, no, not once a-week. I pays 4s. a-week rent, and I dare say my food, morning and night, costs me a 1s. a-day—aye, I’m sure it does, morning and night. At present I don’t make 12s. a-week; but take the year round, one week with another, it might come to 13s. or 14s. a-week I gets. Yes, I’ll own to that.
“Christmas is my best time; then I gets more than 1l. a-week: now I don’t take 4s. a-week on my crossing. Many’s the time I’ve made my breakfast on a pen’orth of coffee and a halfpenny slice of bread and butter. What do you think of that?
“Wet weather does all the harm to me. People, you see, don’t like to come out. I think I’ve got the best side of the square, and you see my crossing is a long one, and saves people a deal of ground, for it cuts off the corner. It used to be a famous crossing in its time—hah! but that’s gone.
“I always uses what they calls the brush-brooms; that’s them with a flat head like a house-broom. I can’t abide them others; they don’t look well, and they wears out ten times as quick as mine. I general buys the eights, that’s 10d. a-piece, and finds my own handles. A broom won’t last me more than a fortnight, it’s such a long crossing; but when it was paved, afore this muckydam (macadamising) was turned up, a broom would last me a full three months. I can’t abide this muckydam—can you, sir? it’s sloppy stuff, and goes so bad in holes. Give me the good solid stones as used to be.
“I does a good business round the square when the snow’s on the ground. I general does each house at so much a-week whilst it snows. Hardwicks give me a shilling. I does only my side, and that next Oxford-street. I don’t go to the others, unless somebody comes and orders me—for fair play is fair play—and they belongs to the other sweepers. I does my part and they does theirs.