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The Railway, to which I hurried as soon as I was able to get myself ready, Elijah was sitting at the cribbage board with Annie. The little tavern was almost empty. Annie looked up at me from the table.
“First customer tonight, almost,” she said. “They’ve all gone to the Fair but doubtless they’ll be back ere closing time—if we have a closing time this night!”
“Sit down, lass, and have a glass of Madeira,” said Elijah. “We shan’t be long playing this hand out.”
I would not sit down for as yet I was too excited.
“Take me to the Fair, ’Lijah,” I said. “I do want to go to Walsall Fair.”
He scratched his head. “I’m not goin’ out tonight, sister,” he said. “Yon Fair’ll be thronged with a great mass of Brummagem men. There’ll be pocket-picking and razor-fighting and God knows what b
