They could think of nothing nasty enough to say.

They turned a corner sharply, and then Anthea pulled Jane into an archway, and then inside a door; Cyril and Robert quickly followed, and the jeering crowd passed by without seein them.
Anthea drew a long breath.
'How awful!' she said.

'I didn't know there were such people, except in books.' 'It was a bit thick; but it's partly you girls' fault, coming out in those flashy coats.' 'We thought we ought to, when we were going out with the Phoenix,' said Jane; and the bird said, 'Quite right, too'-- and incautiously put out his head to give her a wink of encouragement.
And at the same instant a dirty hand reached through the grim balustrade of the staircase beside them and clutched the Phoenix, and a hoarse voice said-- 'I say, Urb, blowed if this ain't our Poll parrot what we lost.

Thank you very much, lidy, for bringin' 'im home to roost.' The four turned swiftly.

Two large and ragged boys were crouched amid the dark shadows of the stairs.