it means, I know what it says.'

'Hear, Hear,' shouted several voices, and angry cries of 'Why don't you
drink the poison?' began to be heard from the outskirts of the crowd.

'Are you going to drink it or not?' demanded the man with the bottle.

'No! I'm not such a fool!' retorted Misery, fiercely, and a loud shout
of laughter broke from the crowd.'

'P'haps some of the other "believers" would like to,' said the young
man sneeringly, looking round upon the disciples. As no one seemed
desirous of availing himself of this offer, the man returned the bottle
regretfully to his pocket.

'I suppose,' said Misery, regarding the owner of the strychnine with a
sneer, 'I suppose you're one of them there hired critics wot's goin'
about the country doin' the Devil's work?'

'Wot I wants to know is this 'ere,' said the Semi-drunk, suddenly
advancing into the middle of the ring and speaking in a loud voice.
'Where did Cain get 'is wife from?'

'Don't answer 'im, Brother 'Unter,' said Mr Didlum, one of the
disciples. This was rather an unnecessary piece of advice, because
Misery did not know the answer.

An individual in a long black garment--the 'minister'--now whispered
something to Miss Didlum, who was seated at the organ, whereupon she
began to play, and the 'believers' began to sing, as loud as they could
so as to drown the voices of the disturbers of the meeting, a song
called 'Oh, that will be Glory for me!'

After this hymn the 'minister' invited a shabbily dressed 'brother'--a
working-man member of the PSA, to say a 'few words', and the latter
accordingly stepped into the centre of the ring and held forth as
follows:

'My dear frens, I thank Gord tonight that I can stand 'ere tonight,
hout in the hopen hair and tell hall you dear people tonight of hall
wot's been done for ME. Ho my dear frens hi ham so glad tonight as I
can stand 'ere tonight and say as hall my sins is hunder the blood
tonight and wot 'E's done for me 'E can do for you tonight. If you'll
honly do as I done and just acknowledge yourself a lost sinner--'

'Yes! that's the honly way!' shouted Nimrod.

'Amen,' cried all the other believers.

'--If you'll honly come to 'im tonight in the same way as I done you'll
see wot 'E's done for me 'E can do for you. Ho my dear frens, don't go
puttin' it orf from day to day like a door turnin' on its 'inges, don't
put orf to some more convenient time because you may never 'ave another
chance. 'Im tha