“Ten Shillings a Night” Drawn by Adelaide Claxton

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Ten Shillings a Night

Adelaide Claxton

Wood engraving

Illustration for “Ten Shillings a Night” — a poem by Astley H. Baldwin that appears on p. 529 (see below).

London Society, 8 (1865): facing 529. Hathi Trust Digital Library online version of a copy in the University of Michigan Library.

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“Ten Shillings a Night” by Astley H. Baldwin

ONLY ten shillings a night!
The player patiently sits,
Whilst satin and diamonds gleam in the light,
And Folly around her flits:

Flits with a thoughtless scorn
A poor friend it is ton to forget:
Stay, my girl — though papa is a millionaire,
You may be a 'young person' yet!

Some little mouths may be crying for bread.
Perchance, in a snpperless home;
What matters that if Fashion be fed
With the ortolans of Rome ?

Merit and talent are worthless straws
When the tale of wealth is told;
You may turn the scale of a good man's mind.
But the ' world ' weighs only— gold.

The fair player turns with a wistful glance
Stealthily round, her head,
Watching the twinkling feet in the dance —
The fairy-like musical tread.

'Nellie and I were a school-girl pair
, And for ever to love was our vow;
By me she flaunts with a heartless stare,
I am not a "lady" now.

'Can it be to me that her beautiful face
Is purposely from me bent?
Oh ! to think a single fall of her lace
Would pay us a year of rent!

'Only ten shillings a night,
Yet we value them every groat;
They will buy our mother a dress she needs,
Or Willie a winter coat.'

*****

Only ten pitiful shillings a night!
God's love on thy golden head.
They are talents of silver in His great sight,
Since they pay for a family's bread !

Last modified 4 June 2020