登陆注册
5383800000244

第244章

The Widow's Son The next morning when they went to the yard at half past eight o'clock Hunter told them that there was nothing to do, but that they had better come on Monday in case some work came in.They accordingly went on the Monday, and Tuesday and Wednesday, but as nothing `came in' of course they did not do any work.On Thursday morning the weather was dark and bitterly cold.The sky presented an unbroken expanse of dull grey and a keen north wind swept through the cheerless streets.Owen - who had caught cold whilst painting the outside of the conservatory at Sweater's house the previous week - did not get to the yard until ten o'clock.He felt so ill that he would not have gone at all if they had not needed the money he would be able to earn if there was anything to do.Strange though it may appear to the advocates of thrift, although he had been so fortunate as to be in employment when so many others were idle, they had not saved any money.On the contrary, during all the summer they had not been able to afford to have proper food or clothing.Every week most of the money went to pay arrears of rent or some other debts, so that even whilst he was at work they had often to go without some of the necessaries of life.They had broken boots, shabby, insufficient clothing, and barely enough to eat.

The weather had become so bitterly cold that, fearing he would be laid up if he went without it any longer, he took his overcoat out of pawn, and that week they had to almost starve.Not that it was much better other weeks, for lately he had only been making six and a half hours a day - from eight-thirty in the morning till four o'clock in the evening, and on Saturday only four and a half hours - from half past eight till one.This made his wages - at sevenpence an hour -twenty-one shillings and sevenpence a week - that is, when there was work to do every day, which was not always.Sometimes they had to stand idle three days out of six.The wages of those who got sixpence halfpenny came out at one pound and twopence - when they worked every day - and as for those who - like Sawkins - received only fivepence, their week's wages amounted to fifteen and sixpence.

When they were only employed for two or three days or perhaps only a few hours, their `Saturday night' sometimes amounted to half a sovereign, seven and sixpence, five shillings or even less.Then most of them said that it was better than nothing at all.

Many of them were married men, so, in order to make existence possible, their wives went out charing or worked in laundries.They had children whom they had to bring up for the most part on `skim'

milk, bread, margarine, and adulterated tea.Many of these children -little mites of eight or nine years - went to work for two or three hours in the morning before going to school; the same in the evening after school, and all day on Saturday, carrying butchers' trays loaded with meat, baskets of groceries and vegetables, cans of paraffin oil, selling or delivering newspapers, and carrying milk.As soon as they were old enough they got Half Time certificates and directly they were fourteen they left school altogether and went to work all the day.

When they were old enough some of them tried to join the Army or Navy, but were found physically unfit.

It is not much to be wondered at that when they became a little older they were so degenerate intellectually that they imagined that the surest way to obtain better conditions would be to elect gangs of Liberal and Tory land-grabbers, sweaters, swindlers and lawyers to rule over them.

When Owen arrived at the yard he found Bert White cleaning out the dirty pots in the paint-shop.The noise he made with the scraping knife prevented him from hearing Owen's approach and the latter stood watching him for some minutes without speaking.The stone floor of the paint shop was damp and shiny and the whole place was chilly as a tomb.The boy was trembling with cold and he looked pitifully undersized and frail as he bent over his work with an old apron girt about him.Because it was so cold he was wearing his jacket with the ends of the sleeves turned back to keep them clean, or to prevent them getting any dirtier, for they were already in the same condition as the rest of his attire, which was thickly encrusted with dried paint of many colours, and his hands and fingernails were grimed with it.

As he watched the poor boy bending over his task, Owen thought of Frankie, and with a feeling akin to terror wondered whether he would ever be in a similar plight.

When he saw Owen, the boy left off working and wished him good morning, remarking that it was very cold.

`Why don't you light a fire? There's lots of wood lying about the yard.'

`No,' said Bert shaking his head.`That would never do! Misery wouldn't 'arf ramp if 'e caught me at it.I used to 'ave a fire 'ere last winter till Rushton found out, and 'e kicked up an orful row and told me to move meself and get some work done and then I wouldn't feel the cold.'

`Oh, he said that, did he?' said Owen, his pale face becoming suddenly suffused with blood.`We'll see about that.'

He went out into the yard and crossing over to where - under a shed -there was a great heap of waste wood, stuff that had been taken out of places where Rushton & Co.had made alterations, he gathered an armful of it and was returning to the paintshop when Sawkins accosted him.

`You mustn't go burnin' any of that, you know! That's all got to be saved and took up to the bloke's house.Misery spoke about it only this mornin'.'

Owen did not answer him.He carried the wood into the shop and after throwing it into the fireplace he poured some old paint over it, and, applying a match, produced a roaring fire.Then he brought in several more armfuls of wood and piled them in a corner of the shop.Bert took no part in these proceedings, and at first rather disapproved of them because he was afraid there would be trouble when Misery came, but when the fire was an accomplished fact he warmed his hands and shifted his work to the other side of the bench so as to get the benefit of the heat.

同类推荐
  • 后汉演义

    后汉演义

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 東北邊防輯要

    東北邊防輯要

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 维摩义记

    维摩义记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • The Lost Princess of Oz

    The Lost Princess of Oz

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 杜工部诗年谱

    杜工部诗年谱

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 会说话会办事的女人最聪明

    会说话会办事的女人最聪明

    其实,生活中有很多女人通过自己的努力获得了成功。她们不把自己当作生活中的弱者,不怨天尤人自暴自弃,不拿青春作为一辈子幸福的筹码,而是自己成为主宰自己命运的主人,通过不懈的努力和顽强的拼搏,最终功成名就,获得属于自己的一份幸福。这种女人才是聪明的女人,从她们身上我们可以看到智慧和优雅并存,美丽和气质共生。这种女人无论在生活中还是工作中都能够很好的运用自己的优势,善于取长补短,能够以柔克刚,说话口吐莲花,做事灵活百变。
  • 重生之恃美而骄

    重生之恃美而骄

    【轻松欢脱,高糖1v1】重生一世,她变成将军府女扮男装的小公子顾之棠。很好,她很满意。此生她定要喝最烈的酒,做最拉风最靓的崽!但是……进太学撒了一波欢之后,不小心变成全民白月光了怎么办?!男主:“所以全民都是我情敌?说好弱水三千,只取我一瓢呢?”女主:“我不是,我没有,别胡说。”这是个前世作死一时爽,今生追妻火葬场的故事。
  • 穿越女的重生

    穿越女的重生

    五年前,她是张扬的穿越女,自信骄傲,无人能敌;五年前,她是情窦初开的怀春少女,于桃花中与那个男人相遇,一见倾心。她用尽手段,耗尽心力,然而不是每个穿越女都所向披靡,当如愿嫁的情郎,却不料夫君最爱的人爱的是……,重病时夫君为庶妹的生辰对她不闻不问,小产时夫君陪着庶妹温柔甜蜜,而她拖着受伤的身子和心,被骂阴险恶毒,得来的却是一纸休书。拿着休书,她眼睁睁地看着庶妹取代自己的正妻之位嫁入侯府,看着自己最爱的人挽着另一女人的手温柔小意,她没有疯狂没有闹事,只是画着精致的妆容冷冷地笑了:“阴险?恶毒?呵呵,那我就让你们知道,什么是真正的阴险恶毒!”【注】此文的重生并不是大家以为的重生,是表示女主从头再来的过程,一步步谋算的过程;女主非好人,但三观犹存,男主嘛~
  • 女神的私人保镖

    女神的私人保镖

    别人都叫我富二代,这是一个刺耳的名字。从我睁开眼来到这个世界,身边的人都是讨好我,巴结我。他们都说我除了有钱跟帅之外一无是处,而豪车别墅这都不是我想要的。我不要继承家族企业,我不要当ceo,我只要当女神的私人保镖!
  • 天行九歌之遇见少年的你

    天行九歌之遇见少年的你

    文文承接上一作品《秦时明月之千沐千慕》,女主二次穿越,遇到少年盖聂,又会擦出怎样的火花,话说年轻的二叔真的是帅炸了好么!!
  • Poems

    Poems

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 我被舰娘绑回家了

    我被舰娘绑回家了

    当你走了,你的舰娘们都会很想你的。她们很可怜的,她们的世界里只有你,当你离开后,她们的世界就只剩下件事。找你,或是等你回来。只要你愿意回去,你老婆还是愿意给你开门的。PS:本书为碧蓝航线向群号:675376591
  • 仙道独神

    仙道独神

    每个人的一生都不一样,所追求的也大不相同,宋箐晗的追求就是道。在这条路上是繁花似锦也好,是孤独清寂也罢,她都会义无反顾的走下去,纵使粉身碎骨亦是无悔。
  • 辣妻好萌:总裁宠的好棒棒

    辣妻好萌:总裁宠的好棒棒

    美好的故事总有个开始,杨娇娇做一个名敬业的花边杂志社成员,因为师傅的委派,只身进入欧阳皓郊外别墅找取微型录像机,不想被欧了皓打了个回马枪,当场捉住了她。本想死不承认,就此跑路,结果惨遭师傅的出卖。诶,这就是她狗血新生活的开端吗。
  • 诸葛亮文集译注

    诸葛亮文集译注

    纵观诸葛亮的一生,他不但为祖国的统一大业导演了一幕幕威武雄壮的活剧,创造了彪炳千秋的业绩,而且以其精辟的著述,丰富了我国思想史的宝库。诸葛亮的著作,涉及内容十分广泛,既有论及治国富民的篇章,又有谈论发展生产的内容;既有治国治军的宏论,又有举贤斥佞的表文;既有畅谈外交、形势的文章,又有提出战略决策的雄文。其中,有关治军、用兵的论述,又成为诸葛亮著作中引人注目的、闪耀着朴素辩证法思想光辉的瑰宝。罗志霖译注的《诸葛亮文集译注》即对诸葛亮的著作进行了翻译和注释,题解着重介绍时代背景、著作内容,并简要揭示其思想意义。