s
disappearing round the corner.

'What did HE want?' said Crass, who had seen the man talking to Bert.

'I don't know exactly; he was asking about the accident, and whether
Joe left any children, and where he lived. He must be a very decent
sort of chap, I should think. He seems quite sorry about it.'

'Oh, he does, does he?' said Crass, with a peculiar expression. 'Don't
you know who he is?'

'No,' replied the boy; 'but I thought p'raps he was a reporter of some
paper.

''E ain't no reporter: that's old Snatchum the undertaker. 'E's
smellin' round after a job; but 'e's out of it this time, smart as 'e
thinks 'e is.'

Barrington came back the next morning to work, and at breakfast-time
there was a lot of talk about the accident. They said that it was all
very well for Hunter to talk like that about the rope, but he had known
for a long time that it was nearly worn out. Newman said that only
about three weeks previously when they were raising a ladder at another
job he had shown the rope to him, and Misery had replied that there was
nothing wrong with it. Several others besides Newman claimed to have
mentioned the matter to Hunter, and each of them said he had received
the same sort of reply. But when Barrington suggested that they should
attend the inquest and give evidence to that effect, they all became
suddenly silent and in a conversation Barrington afterwards had with
Newman the latter pointed out that if he were to do so, it would do no
good to Philpot. It would not bring him back but it would be sure to
do himself a lot of harm. He would never get another job at Rushton's
and probably many of the other employers would 'mark him' as well.

'So if YOU say anything about it,' concluded Newman, 'don't bring my
name into it.'

Barrington was constrained to admit that all things considered it was
right for Newman to mind his own business. He felt that it would not
be fair to urge him or anyone else to do or say anything that would
injure themselves.

Misery came to the house about eleven o'clock and informed several of
the hands that as work was very slack they would get their back day at
pay time. He said that the firm had tendered for one or two jobs, so
they could call round about Wednesday and perhaps he might then be able
to give some of them another start, Barrington was not one of those who
were 'stood off', although he had expected to be on account of the
speech he had made at the Beano,