She saw facing her a woman who she thought looked very strange until she realised that it was because her face was painted. She had pink cheeks, eyelashes black with thick mascara and a crimson mouth.

She looked so different from anybody Honora had ever seen before that for a moment she could only stand and stare at her.

Then, as her eyes went to the gaudy feathered bonnet she wore and the crimson cloak trimmed with cheap fur, she said,

“I-I am sorry – but I do not understand what you are saying – to me.”

“You understands orl right,” the woman said angrily.

Her voice was coarse and she had a cockney accent.

Honora did not reply and she went on,

“This be where I works, so clear orf and find somewhere else and be quick about it!”

“I-I was going into the Park,” Honora explained.

“As if you didn’t know it’s closed up at night!” the woman said scornfully. “Come on, ignoramus, don’t try them tricks on me!”

Honora thought the woman must be mad and decided that the best thing she could do would be to cross the road to the other side.

She was just about to do so, when two men came up.

“’Avin’ a bit of trouble, Molly?” one of them asked.

“This ’ere woman’s trespassin’ on my beat!” she said. “I tells ’er she ain’t got no right ’ere, but ’er don’t seem to understand plain English!”

The men were dark and rather unpleasant-looking and, as they turned to Honora, she said quickly,

“I am sorry if I have done anything – wrong. I did not mean to upset – anybody. I will go – away.”

She meant once again to cross the road, but at that moment there was a carriage coming and she had to wait for it to pass.

She did not see the two men look at each other with knowing glances and one of them said,

“We’ll look after you, me dear, and prevent you upsettin’ Molly. There’s plenty of other places just as good as this.”

They caught hold of Honora’s arms and now she was very frightened.

“It’s quite all right, thank you,” she said. “I will go back from – where I – came.”

“I thinks that’d be a mistake,” one of the men said.

“So do I,” the other one agreed. “You come along wiv us.”

“ No! No!” Honora exclaimed. “I don’t want to do – that!”

She tried to move away from them, but to her consternation she found that there was a man on either side of her, holding onto her arms.

As they held her so that she could not escape from them, a Hackney carriage came down the road and one of them hailed it.

“N-no – please – I have to go – back to my – house!” she said quickly.

They did not seem to hear her and before she could realise what was happening they had bundled her into the Hackney carriage.