Magdalenism : an inquiry into the extent, causes, and consequences of prostitution in Edinburgh / by William Tait.

  • Tait, William
Date:
1840
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Magdalenism : an inquiry into the extent, causes, and consequences of prostitution in Edinburgh / by William Tait. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    her to/reflect on the perilous nature of her situation ^ and, seeing herselron the very brink of complete min, she/r^olved rather (to endu^-e for a short time the feelings of shame which she was sure to experience on returning to her offended friends, than continue to run foil in the'^j^ailOCwicH^^ which she had been pursuing>) (To carry this resolution into efFect>^ she began jtp ^^I^i'^±5l*;?^H^6ments for returning home, ^nd announced hei. io- tention to her mistress^who\ from the apparently disinterested kindness shown to her during her sickness,\ she had every reason to believe would be happy to accede' to lier w{sliies,^j and do every thing in her power to promote an object she so much desired,\aiid which was so much calculated to promote her future comfort and happiness.^ ^le was both perplexed and astonished when her rmstress told her with an oath that she could not move over her door tin_shc_had paid her down <£*25—the sum she was due to her for board, lodging, nursing, medicine, and medical attendance^ The poor girl burst into tears at the sudden and unexpected turn_ thcf'apparent friendshi]^]^fJidMpjstressjhad taken. Remonstrance with her had no effect in modifying or lessening her demands. To save any risk of loss, which she might sustain from her depar- ture,(^he ordered all her trunks to be locked up in a room ;^and,\^ after having put the key in her pocket^she told the unfortunate girl to strip herself of the moniing-dress she had on\and march instantly out of the house,\^for she could not longer endure to see the face of such an impertinent and dishonest girl within her door M^othing was left but to adopt the course pointed out to her. jr^She accordingly departed \vithout a single article of dress of any value,^ being covered only with a mantle which she bor- rowed from one of the lodgers in the same house, ^^nd which was to be returned by a servant who accompanied her for that pur- pose to the house where she had formerly lodged, y.nd where she expected to be provided with as much dress as was necessary to fit her out in a respectable manner to meet with her friends. Thecasejjust narrated/gives a faithful outlinc)of the manner in which tiiesQ^mprincipled a^d unfeeling brothel-kcepersVct towards those (females who are so (imfortunate^ as to becomefinmates of their dens of 'infamy^) As might natin-ally be expected, ^evovy