ef halt was made at the Cross Roads to pick up several of the men,
including Philpot, Harlow, Easton, Ned Dawson, Sawkins, Bill Bates and
the Semi-drunk. The two last-named were now working for Smeariton and
Leavit, but as they had been paying in from the first, they had elected
to go to the Beano rather than have their money back. The Semi-drunk
and one or two other habitual boozers were very shabby and down at
heel, but the majority of the men were decently dressed. Some had taken
their Sunday clothes out of pawn especially for the occasion. Others
were arrayed in new suits which they were going to pay for at the rate
of a shilling a week. Some had bought themselves second-hand suits,
one or two were wearing their working clothes brushed and cleaned up,
and some were wearing Sunday clothes that had not been taken out of
pawn for the simple reason that the pawnbrokers would not take them in.
These garments were in what might be called a transition
stage--old-fashioned and shiny with wear, but yet too good to take for
working in, even if their owners had been in a position to buy some
others to take their place for best. Crass, Slyme and one or two of
the single men, however, were howling swells, sporting stand-up collars
and bowler hats of the latest type, in contradistinction to some of the
others, who were wearing hats of antique patterns, and collars of
various shapes with jagged edges. Harlow had on an old straw hat that
his wife had cleaned up with oxalic acid, and Easton had carefully dyed
the faded binding of his black bowler with ink. Their boots were the
worst part of their attire: without counting Rushton and his friends,
there were thirty-seven men altogether, including Nimrod, and there
were not half a dozen pairs of really good boots amongst the whole
crowd.

When all were seated a fresh start was made. The small brake, with
Rushton, Didlum, Grinder and two or three other members of the Band,
led the way. Next came the largest brake with Misery on the box.
Beside the driver of the third brake was Payne, the foreman carpenter.
Crass occupied a similar position of honour on the fourth brake, on the
back step of which was perched the man with the coachman's horn.

Crass--who had engaged the brakes--had arranged with the drivers that
the cortege should pass through the street where he and Easton lived,
and as they went by Mrs Crass was standing at the door with the two
young men lodgers, who waved thei