Noël Coward chronicled British high society in the early twentieth century. This 1964 story was made into a Hayley Mills film just three years later. In it, a British shopgirl finds unexpected opportunities in Singapore, transforming from an ugly duckling into a conniving swan who discovers the power of her dormant sex appeal.
In this scene, while staying with her obnoxious but wealthy aunt in a hotel early in the adventure, ‘She looked out absently at the traffic streaming back and forth along the high road and at the grey-blue sea beyond on which the ships lay still as though embalmed in light.’ The eyeglasses in her hand play a significant role in the story; if you have seen any 1980s romantic comedies, you'll know that when a girl discards her spectacles and lets her hair down, she becomes a glamour queen.
The title comes from 'Pretty Polly,' a traditional folk ballad about a young woman who winds up murdered. If Coward foresees a similar fate for his heroine, it's not obvious from the tone of the story, much of which involves Polly getting life advice from her worldly-wise, bisexual uncle, who seems to be a Coward stand-in.
This particular illustration accompanied the story in a 1981 anthology 'Twenty Two Tales' released by the Franklin Library press. Lyall uses white paint to highlight Polly's blouse and to convey the smoke from her cigarette against the shutters. He also nicely portrays the junk boats in the Singapore harbor.
