lift in', for which they were usually paid one shilling,
unless it happened to be a very high-class funeral, when they sometimes
got one and sixpence. They were never paid by the hour for these jobs.

Crass smoked reflectively.

'I think the best way will be to put it like this,' he said at length.
'"Philpot's funeral. One lift out and one lift in. Also takin' corpse
to carpenter's shop." 'Ow would that do?'

Sawkins said that would be a very good way to put it, and they finished
their beer just as the landlord intimated that it was closing time.
The cart was standing where they left it, the black cloth saturated
with the rain, which dripped mournfully from its sable folds.

When they reached the plot of waste ground over which they had to pass
in order to reach the gates of the yard, they had to proceed very
cautiously, for it was very dark, and the lantern did not give much
light. A number of carts and lorries were standing there, and the path
wound through pools of water and heaps of refuse. After much
difficulty and jolting, they reached the gate, which Crass unlocked
with the key he had obtained from the office earlier in the evening.
They soon opened the door of the carpenter's shop and, after lighting
the gas, they arranged the tressels and then brought in the coffin and
placed it upon them. Then they locked the door and placed the key in
its usual hiding-place, but the key of the outer gate they took with
them and dropped into the letter-box at the office, which they had to
pass on their way home.

As they turned away from the door, they were suddenly confronted by a
policeman who flashed his lantern in their faces and demanded to know
why they had tried the lock...

The next morning was a very busy one for Hunter, who had to see several
new jobs commenced. They were all small affairs. Most of them would
only take two or three days from start to finish.

Attending to this work occupied most of his morning, but all the same
he managed to do the necessary business connected with the funeral,
which he arranged to take place at two o'clock on Wednesday afternoon
from the mortuary, where the coffin had been removed during the day,
Hunter deciding that it would not look well to have the funeral start
from the workshop.

Although Hunter had kept it as quiet as possible, there was a small
crowd, including several old workmates of Philpot's who happened to be
out of work, waiting outside the mortuary t