"Are you ready?" Mr. Shaft asked gruffly.

Elizabeth nodded.

"Put on your gloves. It's cold out," he continued.

She followed him out the front door, and down the rough stone steps. Elizabeth glanced to her left to the street corner, before stepping into the surrey. She read her friend's lips. "Good luck," Kid Blink whispered.

The streets of Manhattan were harsh to the Shafts' ears. The open-top buggy went at a gentle pace, to better their site seeing trip. Neither had said a word to one another, since they had left the school.

Elizabeth sat with her arms crosses across her chest and a pleasant smirk played on her lips. She was enjoying watching her poor father twist uncomfortably in his seat. Lizzy decided to delight herself by making the situation even more awkward with conversation, "So, how about we stop at some familiar places of yours. After all, it was your idea to do this." Her tongue dripped with sarcasm.

He twisted in his seat again, finally straitening up to full height. "We're headed to Brooklyn."

****

The traveling surrey passed over the enormous Brooklyn Bridge. Just over the bridge stood a crowd of shouting newsies selling their penny papes; Elizabeth's eyes widened to see that they were girls. She doubted that Spot Conlon would actually allow girls to sell on his turf. Maybe he wasn't as bad as she made him out to be.

On the other side of the street were the docks lining the East River. She grinned as she noticed a familiar face. She mouthed his name.. ("Spot") as they passed.

Spot new better than to wave, be he did crook a slight smirk.

"Who was that boy?" Mr. Shaft asked.

"Hmmm.." Lizzy grinned slyly, continuing to stair distractedly out towards the river.

"Lizzy, I asked you a question," he said sternly.

She did not reply.

"That's it! I am taking you home!"

Lizzy jumped out of her seat and clung to the buggy's railings. She struggled to keep upright as the carriage bolted along. "No!" she exclaimed. "We are not going back."

"Have you gone mad? Sit down right this instance." He sighed, "Either sit down and tell me who that boy was, or we're going home."

She refused to budge.

"Please, dear, sit down," he pleaded. Though his face showed warmth, she didn't felt like she could trust him. Her eyes lit like fire.

"Don't you dare try to act like you care for me.. 'dear'.. Ha! You haven't spoken to me in days. You have no right to call yourself my Father."

Mr. Shaft looked away in shame. He slowly turned back to face her. "I planned this day, so that we could be together. Yes, I know that I haven't been around much lately, but we can change that. Could you at least try to act like you are having a somewhat good time?"

Elizabeth smiled slightly and nodded.

"Good." He shrugged. "Where would you like to go next?"

She thought to herself before sparking an idea. "The Bronx."

Mr. Shaft raised an eyebrow. "Well, why in the devil would you want to go there."

Elizabeth sighed. "I want to see where you grew up."