"Here you are, missus," he bawled, "herrings for nothing! A fine chance for
yer! Come an' take 'em."
The woman shook her head unbelievingly, and left the window.
"Vot a fool!" said he. "But they won't be all so. Herrings for nothing!" A
little child came out to look at him, and he called to her, "Yer, my dear,
take these in to your mother. Tell her how cheap they are--herrings for
nothing." But the child was afraid of him and them, and ran indoors.
So down the street, in the snowy slush and mud, went the cheap fish, the
vender crying loudly as he went, "Herrings for nothing!" and then adding
savagely, "O you fools!" Thus he reached the very end; and, turning to
retrace his steps, he continued his double cry as he came, "Herrings for
nothing!" and then in a lower key, "O you fools!"
"Well?" I said to him calmly, as he reached me at the corner.
"Well!" he replied, "if yer think so! When you gave me the money for
herrings as yer didn't want, I thought you was training for a lunatic
'sylum. Now I thinks all the people round here are fit company for yer. But
what'll I do with the herrings, if yer don't want 'em and they won't have
'em?"
"We will try again together," I replied.
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