“The Pineapple had once been the refuge and hiding place of thief’s and murderers. The current owner thought that its notorious past was somehow advantageous to his business and decorated the walls of his establishment with pictures of those criminals that had been hung and of those who had yet to be. You entered the establishment from a street door and then down three greasy steps. These steps led to a gloomy parlor decorated as previously mentioned.
The Pineapple had its own character and aroma. Its character from the assorted throng that frequented the place. Many were without scruples and notorious characters. The aroma was a combination of the smell of stale tobacco and spilt ale, the natural fragrance of its unwashed cliental, and from the unholy stink of the Fleet River, which had been used as a sewer for countless years. The Fleet ran beneath the Pineapple’s foundations and the Pineapple was generally supposed to be sinking into it.”
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke
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