ce of all, the same as were the air and the light
of the sun.'

'You're about as fair-speakin' a man as I've met for some time,' said
Harlow, winking at the others.

'Yes, mate,' said Philpot. 'Anyone would agree to that much! It's as
clear as mud.'

'Now,' continued Owen, 'I am a capitalist; or, rather, I represent the
landlord and capitalist class. That is to say, all these raw materials
belong to me. It does not matter for our present argument how I
obtained possession of them, or whether I have any real right to them;
the only thing that matters now is the admitted fact that all the raw
materials which are necessary for the production of the necessaries of
life are now the property of the Landlord and Capitalist class. I am
that class: all these raw materials belong to me.'

'Good enough!' agreed Philpot.

'Now you three represent the Working class: you have nothing--and for
my part, although I have all these raw materials, they are of no use to
me--what need is--the things that can be made out of these raw
materials by Work: but as I am too lazy to work myself, I have invented
the Money Trick to make you work FOR me. But first I must explain that
I possess something else beside the raw materials. These three knives
represent--all the machinery of production; the factories, tools,
railways, and so forth, without which the necessaries of life cannot be
produced in abundance. And these three coins'--taking three
halfpennies from his pocket--'represent my Money Capital.'

'But before we go any further,' said Owen, interrupting himself, 'it is
most important that you remember that I am not supposed to be merely
"a" capitalist. I represent the whole Capitalist Class. You are not
supposed to be just three workers--you represent the whole Working
Class.'

'All right, all right,' said Crass, impatiently, 'we all understand
that. Git on with it.'

Owen proceeded to cut up one of the slices of bread into a number of
little square blocks.

'These represent the things which are produced by labour, aided by
machinery, from the raw materials. We will suppose that three of these
blocks represent--a week's work. We will suppose that a week's work is
worth--one pound: and we will suppose that each of these ha'pennies is
a sovereign. We'd be able to do the trick better if we had real
sovereigns, but I forgot to bring any with me.'

'I'd lend you some,' said Philpot, regretfully, 'but I left me purse on
our