ity of
the things that are produced by work. He saw also that a very great
number--in fact the majority of the people--lived on the verge of want;
and that a smaller but still very large number lived lives of
semi-starvation from the cradle to the grave; while a yet smaller but
still very great number actually died of hunger, or, maddened by
privation, killed themselves and their children in order to put a
period to their misery. And strangest of all--in his opinion--he saw
that people who enjoyed abundance of the things that are made by work,
were the people who did Nothing: and that the others, who lived in want
or died of hunger, were the people who worked. And seeing all this he
thought that it was wrong, that the system that produced such results
was rotten and should be altered. And he had sought out and eagerly
read the writings of those who thought they knew how it might be done.

It was because he was in the habit of speaking of these subjects that
his fellow workmen came to the conclusion that there was probably
something wrong with his mind.

When all the members of the syndicate had handed over their
contributions, Bundy went out to arrange matters with the bookie, and
when he had gone Easton annexed the copy of the Obscurer that Bundy had
thrown away, and proceeded to laboriously work through some carefully
cooked statistics relating to Free Trade and Protection. Bert, his eyes
starting out of his head and his mouth wide open, was devouring the
contents of a paper called The Chronicles of Crime. Ned Dawson, a poor
devil who was paid fourpence an hour for acting as mate or labourer to
Bundy, or the bricklayers, or anyone else who wanted him, lay down on
the dirty floor in a corner of the room and with his coat rolled up as
a pillow, went to sleep. Sawkins, with the same intention, stretched
himself at full length on the dresser. Another who took no part in the
syndicate was Barrington, a labourer, who, having finished his dinner,
placed the cup he brought for his tea back into his dinner basket, took
out an old briar pipe which he slowly filled, and proceeded to smoke in
silence.

Some time previously the firm had done some work for a wealthy
gentleman who lived in the country, some distance outside Mugsborough.
This gentleman also owned some property in the town and it was commonly
reported that he had used his influence with Rushton to induce the
latter to give Barrington employment. It was whis