The End The following evening Barrington called at Owen's place.He said he was going home for the holidays and had come to say goodbye for a time.
Owen had not been doing very well during these last few months, although he was one of the few lucky ones who had had some small share of work.Most of the money he earned went for rent, to pay which they often had to go short of food.Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.He contrived to keep up appearances to a certain extent before Rushton, who, although he knew that Owen was not so strong as the other men, was inclined to overlook it so long as he was able to do his share of work, for Owen was a very useful hand when things were busy.But lately some of the men with whom he worked began to manifest dissatisfaction at having him for a mate.When two men are working together, the master expects to see two men's work done, and if one of the two is not able to do his share it makes it all the harder for the other.
He never had the money to go to a doctor to get advice, but earlier in the winter he had obtained from Rushton a ticket for the local hospital.Every Saturday throughout the year when the men were paid they were expected to put a penny or twopence in the hospital box.
Contributions were obtained in this way from every firm and workshop in the town.The masters periodically handed these boxes over to the hospital authorities and received in return some tickets which they gave to anyone who needed and asked for them.The employer had to fill in the ticket or application form with the name and address of the applicant, and to certify that in his opinion the individual was a deserving case, `suitable to receive this charity'.In common with the majority of workmen, Owen had a sort of horror of going for advice to this hospital, but he was so ill that he stifled his pride and went.It happened that it turned out to be more expensive than going to a private doctor, for he had to be at the hospital at a certain hour on a particular morning.To do this he had to stay away from work.The medicine they prescribed and which he had to buy did him no good, for the truth was that it was not medicine that he - like thousands of others - needed, but proper conditions of life and proper food; things that had been for years past as much out of his reach as if he had been dying alone in the middle of a desert.
Occasionally Nora contrived - by going without some other necessary -to buy him a bottle of one of the many much-advertised medicines; but although some of these things were good she was not able to buy enough for him to derive any benefit from them.
Although he was often seized with a kind of terror of the future - of being unable to work - he fought against these feelings and tried to believe that when the weather became warmer he would be all right once more.
When Barrington came in Owen was sitting in a deck-chair by the fire in the sitting-room.He had been to work that day with Harlow, washing off the ceilings and stripping the old paper from the walls of two rooms in Rushton's home, and he looked very haggard and exhausted.
`I have never told you before,' said Barrington, after they had been talking for a while, `but I suppose you have guessed that I did not work for Rushton because I needed to do so in order to live.I just wanted to see things for myself; to see life as it is lived by the majority.My father is a wealthy man.He doesn't approve of my opinions, but at same time he does not interfere with me for holding them, and I have a fairly liberal allowance which I spent in my own way.I'm going to pass Christmas with my own people, but in the spring I intend to fit out a Socialist Van, and then I shall come back here.We'll have some of the best speakers in the movement; we'll hold meetings every night; we'll drench the town with literature, and we'll start a branch of the party.'
Owen's eye kindled and his pale face flushed.
`I shall be able to do something to advertise the meetings,' he said.
For instance, I could paint some posters and placards.'
`And I can help to give away handbills,' chimed in Frankie, looking up from the floor, where he was seated working the railway.`I know a lot of boys who'll come along with me to put 'em under the doors as well.'
They were in the sitting-room and the door was shut.Mrs Owen was in the next room with Ruth.While the two men were talking the front-door bell was heard to ring and Frankie ran out to see who it was, closing the door after him.Barrington and Owen continued their conversation, and from time to time they could hear a low murmur of voices from the adjoining room.After a little while they heard some one go out by the front door, and almost immediately afterward Frankie -wild with excitement, burst into the room, crying out:
`Dad and Mr Barrington! Three cheers!' And he began capering gleefully about the room, evidently transported with joy.
`What are the cheers to be for?' inquired Barrington, rather mystified by this extraordinary conduct.
`Mr Easton came with Freddie to see Mrs Easton, and she's gone home again with them,' replied Freddie, `and - she's given the baby to us for a Christmas box!'
Barrington was already familiar with the fact of Easton's separation from his wife, and Owen now told him the Story of their reconciliation.
Barrington took his leave shortly afterwards.His train left at eight; it was already nearly half past seven, and he said he had a letter to write.Nora brought the baby in to show him before he went, and then she helped Frankie to put on his overcoat, for Barrington had requested that the boy might be permitted to go a little way with him.
