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past Whitechapel Church; and was … rather inappropriately for an

Uncommercial Traveller … in the Commercial Road。  Pleasantly

wallowing in the abundant mud of that thoroughfare; and greatly

enjoying the huge piles of building belonging to the sugar

refiners; the little masts and vanes in small back gardens in back

streets; the neighbouring canals and docks; the India vans

lumbering along their stone tramway; and the pawnbrokers' shops

where hard…up Mates had pawned so many sextants and quadrants; that

I should have bought a few cheap if I had the least notion how to

use them; I at last began to file off to the right; towards

Wapping。



Not that I intended to take boat at Wapping Old Stairs; or that I

was going to look at the locality; because I believe (for I don't)

in the constancy of the young woman who told her sea…going lover;

to such a beautiful old tune; that she had ever continued the same;

since she gave him the 'baccer…box marked with his name; I am

afraid he usually got the worst of those transactions; and was

frightfully taken in。  No; I was going to Wapping; because an

Eastern police magistrate had said; through the morning papers;

that there was no classification at the Wapping workhouse for

women; and that it was a disgrace and a shame; and divers other

hard names; and because I wished to see how the fact really stood。

For; that Eastern police magistrates are not always the wisest men

of the East; may be inferred from their course of procedure

respecting the fancy…dressing and pantomime…posturing at St。

George's in that quarter:  which is usually; to discuss the matter

at issue; in a state of mind betokening the weakest perplexity;

with all parties concerned and unconcerned; and; for a final

expedient; to consult the complainant as to what he thinks ought to

be done with the defendant; and take the defendant's opinion as to

what he would recommend to be done with himself。



Long before I reached Wapping; I gave myself up as having lost my

way; and; abandoning myself to the narrow streets in a Turkish

frame of mind; relied on predestination to bring me somehow or

other to the place I wanted if I were ever to get there。  When I

had ceased for an hour or so to take any trouble about the matter;

I found myself on a swing…bridge looking down at some dark locks in

some dirty water。  Over against me; stood a creature remotely in

the likeness of a young man; with a puffed sallow face; and a

figure all dirty and shiny and slimy; who may have been the

youngest son of his filthy old father; Thames; or the drowned man

about whom there was a placard on the granite post like a large

thimble; that stood between us。



I asked this apparition what it called the place?  Unto which; it

replied; with a ghastly grin and a sound like gurgling water in its

throat:



'Mr。 Baker's trap。'



As it is a point of great sensitiveness with me on such occasions

to be equal to the intellectual pressure of the conversation; I

deeply considered the meaning of this speech; while I eyed the

apparition … then engaged in hugging and sucking a horizontal iron

bar at the top of the locks。  Inspiration suggested to me that Mr。

Baker was the acting coroner of that neighbourhood。



'A common place for suicide;' said I; looking down at the locks。



'Sue?' returned the ghost; with a stare。  'Yes!  And Poll。

Likewise Emily。  And Nancy。  And Jane;' he sucked the iron between

each name; 'and all the bileing。  Ketches off their bonnets or

shorls; takes a run; and headers down here; they doos。  Always a

headerin' down here; they is。  Like one o'clock。'



'And at about that hour of the morning; I suppose?'



'Ah!' said the apparition。  'THEY an't partickler。  Two 'ull do for

THEM。  Three。  All times o' night。  On'y mind you!'  Here the

apparition rested his profile on the bar; and gurgled in a

sarcastic manner。  'There must be somebody comin'。  They don't go a

headerin' down here; wen there an't no Bobby nor gen'ral Cove; fur

to hear the splash。'



According to my interpretation of these words; I was myself a

General Cove; or member of the miscellaneous public。  In which

modest character I remarked:



'They are often taken out; are they; and restored?'



'I dunno about restored;' said the apparition; who; for some occult

reason; very much objected to that word; 'they're carried into the

werkiss and put into a 'ot bath; and brought round。  But I dunno

about restored;' said the apparition; 'blow THAT!' … and vanished。



As it had shown a desire to become offensive; I was not sorry to

find myself alone; especially as the 'werkiss' it had indicated

with a twist of its matted head; was close at hand。  So I left Mr。

Baker's terrible trap (baited with a scum that was like the soapy

rinsing of sooty chimneys); and made bold to ring at the workhouse

gate; where I was wholly unexpected and quite unknown。



A very bright and nimble little matron; with a bunch of keys in her

hand; responded to my request to see the House。  I began to doubt

whether the police magistrate was quite right in his facts; when I

noticed her quick; active little figure and her intelligent eyes。



The Traveller (the matron intimated) should see the worst first。

He was welcome to see everything。  Such as it was; there it all

was。



This was the only preparation for our entering 'the Foul wards。'

They were in an old building squeezed away in a corner of a paved

yard; quite detached from the more modern and spacious main body of

the workhouse。  They were in a building most monstrously behind the

time … a mere series of garrets or lofts; with every inconvenient

and objectionable circumstance in their construction; and only

accessible by steep and narrow staircases; infamously ill…adapted

for the passage up…stairs of the sick or down…stairs of the dead。



A…bed in these miserable rooms; here on bedsteads; there (for a

change; as I understood it) on the floor; were women in every stage

of distress and disease。  None but those who have attentively

observed such scenes; can conceive the extraordinary variety of

expression still latent under the general monotony and uniformity

of colour; attitude; and condition。  The form a little coiled up

and turned away; as though it had turned its back on this world for

ever; the uninterested face at once lead…coloured and yellow;

looking passively upward from the pillow; the haggard mouth a

little dropped; the hand outside the coverlet; so dull and

indifferent; so light; and yet so heavy; these were on every

pallet; but when I stopped beside a bed; and said ever so slight a

word to the figure lying there; the ghost of the old character came

into the face; and made the Foul ward as various as the fair world。

No one appeared to care to live; but no one complained; all who

could speak; said that as much was done for them as could be done

there; that the attendance was kind and patient; that their

suffering was very heavy; but they had nothing to ask for。  The

wretched rooms were as clean and sweet as it is possible for such

rooms to be; they would become a pest…house in a single week; if

they were ill…kept。



I accompanied the brisk matron up another barbarous staircase; into

a better kind of loft devoted to the idiotic and imbecile。  There

was at least Light in it; whereas the windows in the former wards

had been like sides of school…boys' bird…cages。  There was a strong

grating over the fire here; and; holding a kind of state on either

side of the hearth; separated by the breadth of this grating; were

two old ladies in a condition of feeble dignity; which was surely

the very last and lowest reduction of self…complacency to be found

in this wonderful humanity of ours。  They were evidently jealous of

each other; and passed their whole time (as some people do; whose

fires are not grated) in mentally disparaging each other; and

contemptuously watching their neighbours。  One of these parodies on

provincial gentlewomen was extremely talkative; and expressed a

strong desire to attend the service on Sundays; from which she

represented herself to have derived the greatest interest and

consolation when allowed that privilege。  She gossiped so well; and

looked altogether so cheery and harmless; that I began to think

this a case for the Eastern magistrate; until I found that on the

last occasion of her attending chapel she had secreted a small

stick; and had caused some confusion in the responses by suddenly

producing it and belabouring the congregation。



So; these two old ladies; separated by the breadth of the grating …

otherwise they would fly at one another's caps … sat all day long;

suspecting one another; and contemplating a world of fits。  For

everybody else in the room had fits; except the wards…woman; an

elderly; able…bodied pauperess; with a large upper lip; and an air

of repressing and saving her strength; as she stood with her

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