The shop keeper looked sceptically down into the wheeled bucket next to the urchins feet. The water was black, about 2p worth from the municipal pumps. The windows in his shop were high up the limestone block exterior.
"With that water, I doubt you could get anything cleaner except yourself! Be off with you." The shopkeepers apron bounced on his belly as he spoke. The urchin turned and nudged the bucket and mop a little down the street, and around the corner.
"clean ya winda's for ya-"
The woman in the flowershop looked up, and shook her head sadly. The urchin was in Norbert's territory now, but Norbert hadn't been seen for days, so he was probably safe. The flowershop lady looked sad, and bent more closely over the flowers. The urchins tummy grumbled. His grubby hand reached into a grubbier pocket, but came up empty.
"Clean ya winda's for ya, mista?"
This shops windows were covered in a thick layer of hardened black grime, and no light penetrated into the building.
"Bigger off you!" Said a red-faced man, his head thrust through the narrow gap between door and doorway.
"Only 5p a winda, mista. Look, i got a brush an' all" The urchin waved the brush around, splattering dirty water in the wall of the building.
"I said no! Bugger off"
"I may be short, but me brush is long enough to reach the top o' ya windas, sir" the urchin reached up with the brush, the red faced man half out the door now, yelling "No! No! No!" But before he could stop it, the brush had been expertly swept down the window, to reveal the terrified face of Norbert, crushed up against the glass. The urchin paused, shocked, the brush clattering to the pavement, the bucket unheedingly knocked over, as the red-faced man dragged the now-struggling urchin into the shop, and with a terrible finality, slammed the door shut.
