Part 49 (1/2)
Pa.s.sing the end of White Horse Yard--”Here,” continued Tom, ”in this yard and the various courts and alleys which lead into it, reside numerous Girls in the very lowest state of prost.i.tution; and it is dangerous even in the day time to pa.s.s their habitations, at all events very dangerous to enter any one of them. Do you see the crowd of squalid, half-clad and half-starved creatures that surround the old woman at the corner?--Observe, that young thing without a stocking is stealing along with a bottle in one hand and a gown in the other; she is going to put the latter _up the spout_{1} with her
1 Up the spout, or up the five--Are synonimous in their import, and mean the act of pledging property with a p.a.w.nbroker for the loan of money--most probably derived from the practice of having a long spout, which reaches from the top of the house of the p.a.w.n-broker (where the goods are deposited for safety till redeemed or sold) to the shop, where they are first received; through which a small bag is dropped upon the ringing of a bell, which conveys the tickets or duplicates to a person above stairs, who, upon finding them, (unless too bulky) saves himself the trouble and loss of time of coming down stairs, by more readily conveying them down the spout.
~367~~ accommodating _Uncle,_{1} in order to obtain a little of the enlivening juice of the juniper to fill the former.”
1 Uncle, sometimes called the Ferrit, or the Flint--Cant terms for p.a.w.nbroker, though many of these gentlemen now a.s.sume the more reputable appellation of Silversmiths. They are willing to lend money upon all sorts of articles of household furniture, linen, plate, wearing apparel, jewellery, &c. with a certainty of making a very handsome profit upon the money so circulated.
There are in this Metropolis upwards of two hundred and thirty p.a.w.nbrokers, and in some cases they are a useful and serviceable cla.s.s of people; and although doubtless many of them are honest and reputable persons, there are still among them a cla.s.s of sharpers and swindlers, who obtain licences to carry on the business, and bring disgrace upon the respectable part of the profession. Every species of fraud which can add to the distresses of those who are compelled to raise temporary supplies of money is resorted to, and for which purpose there are abundance of opportunities. In many instances however the utility of these persons, in preventing a serious sacrifice of property, cannot be denied; for, by advancing to tradesmen and mechanics temporary loans upon articles of value at a period of necessity, an opportunity of redeeming them is afforded, when by their industrious exertions their circ.u.mstances are improved. Many of them however are receivers of stolen good.s, and, under cover of their licence, do much harm to the public. Indeed, the very easy mode of raising money by means of the p.a.w.nbrokers, operates as an inducement, or at least an encouragement, to every species of vice. The fraudulent tradesman by their means is enabled to raise money on the goods of his creditors, the servant to pledge the property of his employer, and the idle or profligate mechanic to deposit his working tools, or his work in an unfinished state. Many persons in London are in the habit of p.a.w.ning their apparel from Monday morning till Sat.u.r.day night, when they are redeemed, in order to make a decent appearance on the next day. In low neighbourhoods, and among loose girls, much business is done by p.a.w.nbrokers to good advantage; and considerable emolument is derived from women of the town. The articles they offer to pledge are generally of the most costly nature, and the pilferings of the night are usually placed in the hands of an Uncle the next morning; and the wary money-lenders, fully acquainted with their necessities, just lend what they please; by which means they derive a wonderful profit, from the almost certainty of these articles never being redeemed.
The secresy with which a p.a.w.nbroker's business is conducted, though very proper for the protection of the honest and well-meaning part of the population, to s.h.i.+eld them from an exposure which might perhaps prove fatal to their business or credit, admits of great room for fraud on the part of the Money-lender; more particularly as it respects the interest allowed upon the p.a.w.ns. Many persons are willing to pay any charge made, rather than expose their necessities by appearing before a Magistrate, and acknowledging they have been concerned in such transactions.
Persons who are in the constant habit of p.a.w.ning are generally known by the p.a.w.nbrokers, in most instances governed by their will, and compelled to take and pay just what they please. Again, much injury arises from the want of care in the p.a.w.nbroker to require a proper account, from the Pledgers, of the manner in which the goods offered have been obtained, as duplicates are commonly given upon fict.i.tious names and residences.
Notwithstanding the care and attention usually paid to the examination of the articles received as pledges, these gentlemen are sometimes to be duped by their customers. We remember an instance of an elderly man, who was in the habit of bringing a Dutch clock frequently to a p.a.w.nbroker to raise the wind, and for safety, generally left it in a large canva.s.s bag, till he became so regular a customer, that his clock and bag were often left without inspection; and as it was seldom deposited for long together, it was placed in some handy nook of the shop in order to lie ready for redemption. This system having been carried on for some time, no suspicion was entertained of the old man. Upon one occasion however the p.a.w.nbroker's olfactory nerves were saluted with a smell of a most unsavoury nature, for which he could by no means account--day after day pa.s.sed, and no discovery was made, till at length he determined to overhaul every article in his shop, and if possible discover the source of a nuisance which appeared rather to increase than abate: in doing which, to his utter astonishment, he found the old man's Dutch clock trans-formed into a sheep's head, enclosed in a small box similar in shape and size to that of the clock. It will scarcely be necessary to add, that, being in the heat of summer, the sheep's head when turned out was in a putrid state, and as green as gra.s.s. The p.a.w.n-broker declared the old gentleman's works were out of repair, that he himself was out of tune, and eventually pledged himself never to be so taken in again. After all, however, it must be acknowledged that my Uncle is a very accommodating man.
”My Uncle's the man, I've oft said it before, Who is ready and willing to open his door; Tho' some on the question may harbour a doubt, He's a mill to grind money, which I call a spout.
Derry down.
He has three golden b.a.l.l.s which hang over his door, Which clearly denote that my Uncle's not poor; He has money to lend, and he's always so kind, He will lend it to such as leave something behind.
Derry down.
If to music inclin'd, there's no man can so soon Set the hooks of your gamut to excellent tune; All his tickets are prizes most carefully book'd, And your notes must be good, or you're presently hook'd.
Derry down.
s.h.i.+rts, shoes, and flat-irons, hats, towels, and ruffs, To him are the same as rich satins or stuffs; From the pillows you lay on, chairs, tables, or sacks, He'll take all you have, to the togs on your backs.
Derry down.
Then ye who are needy, repair to your friend, Who is ready and willing your fortunes to mend; He's a purse full of rhino, and that's quite enough, Tho' short in his speech, he can sh.e.l.l out short stuff.
Derry down.
What a blessing it is, in this place of renown To know that we have such an Uncle in town; In all cases, degrees, in all places and stations, 'Tis a good thing to know we've such friendly relations.
Derry down.
”Surely,” said Tallyho, ”no person could possibly be inveigled by her charms?”
~369~~ ”They are not very blooming just now,” answered his Cousin--”you do not see her in a right light. It is impossible to contemplate the cases of these poor creatures without dropping a tear of pity.
Originally seduced from a state of innocence, and eventually abandoned by their seducers, as well as their well-disposed parents or friends, they are left at an early age at large upon the world; loathed and avoided by those who formerly held them in estimation, what are they to do?--It is said by Shakespeare, that
”Sin will pluck on sin.”
They seem to have no alternative, but that of continuing in the practice which they once too fatally begun, in which the major part of them end a short life of debauchery and wretchedness.
”Exposed to the rude insults of the inebriated and the vulgar--the impositions of brutal officers and watchmen--to the chilling blasts of the night during the most inclement weather, in thin apparel, partly in compliance with the fas.h.i.+on of the day, but more frequently from the
~370~~ p.a.w.nbroker's shop rendering their necessary garments inaccessible, diseases (where their unhappy vocation does not produce them) are thus generated.