not My

a large private dwelling but which had been transformed into a series o

the town. Notwithstanding this fact, Lord Street was still a most respectable neighbourhood, the inhabitants generally being of a very su

vel with the street--was the habitat of the family of Mr Trafaim, a cadaverous-looking gentleman who wore a top hat, boasted of his French

selves into groups, the more superior types drawing together, separating themselves from the inferior, and rising naturally to the top, while the others gathered themselves into distinct cl

ion to the top hat aforesaid--a frock coat and a pair of lavender trousers every day. The coal merchant and the jerry builders also wore top hats, lavender trousers and frock coats, but only on Sundays and other special occasions

whatever differences existed amongst them regarding each other's social standing they were unanimous on o

essed, yet most of the neighbours knew perfectly well that she had been wearing the same white straw hat all the time she had been there. In fact, the only tolerable one of the family was the boy, and they were forced to admit that he was always very well dressed; so

en and his wife were not Christians: then indeed everyone agreed that the la

s to do much harm. The landlord regarded their opinion with indifference. All he cared about was the money: although he also was a sinc

the street to play, the other children, acting on their parents' instructions, refused to associate with him, or taunted hi

o leave off playing with Frankie and some other poorly dressed children who used to play in that street. These females were usually overdressed and wore a lot of jewe

he children disregarded all such distinctions. Frequently in that street was to be seen the appalling spectacle of the ten-year-old son of the refined and fashionable Trafaim dragging along a cart constructed of a sugar box an

ut twelve feet square and the ceiling--which was low and irregularly shaped, showing

ready for tea. In the recess at the right of fireplace--an ordinary open grate--were a number of

of new books, mostly chea

t of Owen's, and some underclothing, which his wife had placed there to

ale face bore the traces of much physical and mental suffering. She was sewing, a task which her reclining pos

as reproduced much of the delicate prettiness which she had once possessed. His feminine appearance was increased by the fact that his yellow hair hung in long curl

looked down into the street, scanning the pavement for as far as

got to,' he said, as h

turned his mother. 'Perhaps

r a pause, 'that it's a great mistake for Dad to go out worki

r, but if Dad didn't go out to work we'd be even poo

people who do nothing g

who never do any work get lots of everything, but

eplied Frankie, shaking hi

o to, or that he was ill and not able to do any work, then we

oughtful manner, 'The chairs that's left aren't good enough to sell, and

to sell, the money we'd get for them wouldn't

without, that's all, the same a

r do any work manage to get lot

you remember when Dad was in London, and we had n

d I took it to the shop, and afterwards old Didlum came up here

mber how much he

well acquainted with the details of the transaction,

window a little while afterwar

en shi

ay of getting mone

toys in silence for some

other

m alive whilst they are at work. Then, when the things that the working people have been making are finished, the workers are sent away, and as they still have no money, they are soon starving. In the meantime the people who

o get rich without doi

yone to become rich witho

oolmaster then? He

hard work teaching all those boys every day?

be rather hard too, I should think. I've noticed he looks a bit worried sometimes,

and pulling back the edge of the blind lo

icar?' he remarke

school that he had attended was that attached to the parish ch

oing any necessary work, and of all the people wh

an attentive listener to many conversations between his parents, he had of course assimilated their opinions as far as his infant understanding

um?' he

beautiful things which the people who do nothing

es

t the very worst food, and wear the very wor

said

t at all, and no clothes to wear excep

epeated

to the workers and tells them that God meant them to work very hard and to give all the good things they make to those who do nothing, and that they should be very thankful to God and to the idlers for being allowed to have even the very worst food to eat a

ie la

out the Idle

ls them and give him some of the money they make out o

os, is it, Mum?' said Fra

true, but then you see it's

an't i

His children, all brothers and sisters. But the vicar says that although Jesus said "brothers and sisters" He really ought to have said "masters and servants". Again, Jesus said that His disciples should not think of tomorrow, or save up a lot of money for t

e too. He says that the world would never be able to go on if we did as Jesus taught. The vicar teaches that the way to deal with those that injure us is to have them put into prison, or--if they

go about talking like that,

to live without wor

eople know he's

to believe it, and give him money for saying it, because they want him to go on telling it to t

the workers? Do

nd now that they're grown up they really believe it, and they go to work and give nearly everything they make to the idlers, and have next to nothing left for themselves and their children. That's the reason why the workers' children have very bad clothes to

e workers, and when we've made a lot of things, I shall stand up and tell the others what to

us of what he was doing, the boy began gathering up the

gs away,' he exclaimed, relapsing momen

ching our things, we'll go up to 'em and say, "'Ere, watcher doin' of? Just you put it down,

picked up the box and placed it noisil

lly glad when they see me coming to te

ives, and quite right that most of the things they help to make should be taken away from them by the people who do nothing. The workers think that their children are not as good as the c

rs ought to be jolly ashamed o

em so; then, their schoolteachers told them so; and then, when they went to church, the vicar and the Sunday School teacher told them the same thing.

ing to have the very best and most of everything thats made, and the very ones who make everythi

ve been taught to think about it, and Da

'd never taught me, I'm sure I should have tumbled to it all

taught that it's very wicked to use their own judgement, or to think. And their children are being taught so n

St Th

the teacher say

worse than him because I asked too many foolish que

he call St Thoma

ldn't believe w

you told Dad about

an in the whole crowd of Apostles. That is,' added Frankie

that there neve

to what the teacher said about such things, and then to think about it in m

tell them to believe, without thinking, whatever the teacher says. So it will be no wond

hen, for me to tell them what to do to

s mother, holdi

open. He ran along the passage and opened the staircase do

laimed Owen's wife as he came into the room exhausted from

y back in the chair, his face haggard and of a ghastly whiteness, and with the

rror the extreme alarm with whic

per. 'How many more times will Mother have to

nearer to him and kissing the curly head. 'Listen, and

rring of the kitten w

s hiding-place. 'All black, and I believe it's

ilk, Owen went into the bedroom to put on the dry clothes, and then, those that he had taken off having been pla

b,' he remarked, referring to Linden. 'Even in the summe

ect for the two childr

e to suffer. All their lives they've been working like brutes and living in poverty. Although they have done more than their fair share of the work, they have never enjoyed anything like a fair share of the things they have help

ings and rearranging the drying clothing by the fire, Owen

ra,' he said, crossing over to h

've been very bad all day and I had to lie down nearly all the afternoon. I don't k

I, Mum?' said Frankie with pride;

t,' she answered, and Frankie wen

said Owen. 'I can put Frankie to bed pre

thes are properly dry and to put something ready for you to take in the

anage al

woman said, 'because I know you must be tired out

e was scarcely able to stand. 'I'll go and draw the blinds down and

remarked the boy, 'because Dad can carry me

ked affectionately at the kitten, which was sitting on the hearthrug watching

u think we ought

y name you like,' re

said the boy, 'his name is Major. How wou

loudly and winked as if to intimate that he did not care what rank was confe

fully. 'They're all right names for dogs, but I th

s they are,

or Kitty, but I don't wa

call him after

l that comes to our school; a fine name,

' sai

he was being put to bed. 'You're forgetting all about my story, a

s very late, long past your usual bedtime, you know. You can take the kitten to be

d the signals put up before you come home, so that there'll be no time wasted. And I'll put one chair at one end of the room and anoth

e as other Saturdays, because I'm going to buy a

the gables, shaking the house in a way that threatened every moment to hurl it to the ground. The lamp on the table had a green glass reservoir which was half full of oil. Owen watched this with unconscious fa

ibilities of good, but tonight the thought brought no such illusions, for he kn

r. He would continue to work and they would all three continue to do withou

ery few years. Even if he were to have proper food and clothing and be able to take reasonable ca

selfish. Under the present system it was impossible for anyone to succeed in life without injuring other

and to take advantage of their misfortunes: to undersell and crush out one's competitors by fair means or

ankie's character did not come up to this lofty

ble and then turned the wetter parts of the clothing to the fire. Whilst doing this he noticed the newspaper, which he had forgotten, in the coat pocket. He drew it out with an exclamation of pleasure. Here was something to distract his thoughts: if not instructive or comforting, it would at any rate be interesting and even amusing to read the reports of the self-sat

DOMESTI

Two Child

of the

last, and when one day the neighbours noticed that the blinds remained down and that there was a strange silence about the house, no one coming out or going in, suspicions that something was wrong were quickly aroused. Wh

m except the straw mattress and the ragged clothe

s on the floor, surrounded by the blood that had poured from the wound in his throa

nail in the wall in the kitchen was hung a piece of

my crime, b

ve been perpetrated during a fit of temporary insan

b theory. 'Insanity! It seems to me that he wo

kinder to send them all to sleep, t

were done in more or less the same crude, cruel messy way. No; HE would set about it in a different fashion. He would get some charcoal, then he would paste strips of paper over the joinings of the door and windows of the room and close the register

dly poisons: and there was some other stuff that photographers used, which was very easy to procure. Of course, one would have to be very careful about poisons, so as not to select one that would cause a lot of pain. It would be necessary to find out exactly how the stuff acted before using it. It would not be very difficult to do so. Then he remembered that among his books was one that probably c

hysiologically and pat

ive Po

tic P

Poi

utive

ative P

reach of whoever wished to make use of them: poisons that could be relied upon to do their work certainly, quickly and witho

d scarcely be adopted in that house, because there were no beams or rafters or anything from which it would be possible to suspend a cord. Still, he could drive some large nails or hooks into one of the walls. For that matter, ther

then under pretence of play, it would be done. The boy would o

e fancied he could hear the boy's hands and feet beating agai

by his side again, he thought tha

d!

ily opene

calling,

calling you qu

do you

e here. I want to

you were asleep a long time ago,'

've tried all different ways, counting and all, but it's no use, so I thought I'd ask you if you'd mind

round Owen's neck and

he said. 'I love you so much,

, if you squeeze me

at WOULD be a funny way of showing you how much I

ked the bedclothes round the child's shoulders. 'But don't

ht,' sai

ntly fell asleep. Then Owen got up very gently and, having taken the kitten out of the bed again

room, he made a bed in the box with some rags and placed it on its side on the hearthrug, facing the fire, and with some difficulty persuaded the kitten to

ng any better,

t your clothes. I'm afraid they'll never be dry enough for you to put on the first t

l me to stay away altogether. I believe he would be glad o

in the morning, you'll be wet

ar: besides, I can wear this old coa

, and take them with you, you can take off yo

e added, reassuringly, 'even if I do get a lit

in the morning,' said Nora. 'Isn't it a dreadful night! I ke

g to the howling of the wind and the noise of