At the far end of the room, Thomas stood on a box surveying the crowd. He noticed Mary and fixed her with a look. She ignored him, pretending not to notice the scowl he threw in her direction. All too soon, he was clapping his hands together. It was time for the assembled masses to quieten down.
When a silence of sorts settled over the room he began.
“The circus is comin’ to Whitechapel!”
He spat the statement out rapidly. There was no need to elaborate, and they all knew what that implied.
“An’ two weeks after that, the big Gypsy fair is comin’ to Hoxton!” He scanned the room. “There’s money to be ‘ad out there this month.” He made no attempt at a smile. “Money, not trouble.”
“Boys!” He was directing his words now to a small group near the front. Mary could see the row of five flat c
