on the afternoon of the day when the incidents recorded in the first
chapter took place, was executing a kind of strategic movement in the
direction of the house where Crass and his mates were working. He kept
to one side of the road because by so doing he could not be perceived
by those within the house until the instant of his arrival. When he was
within about a hundred yards of the gate he dismounted from his
bicycle, there being a sharp rise in the road just there, and as he
toiled up, pushing the bicycle in front, his breath showing in white
clouds in the frosty air, he observed a number of men hanging about.
Some of them he knew; they had worked for him at various times, but
were now out of a job. There were five men altogether; three of them
were standing in a group, the other two stood each by himself, being
apparently strangers to each other and the first three. The three men
who stood together were nearest to Hunter and as the latter approached,
one of them advanced to meet him.

'Good afternoon, sir.'

Hunter replied by an inarticulate grunt, without stopping; the man
followed.

'Any chance of a job, sir?'

'Full up,' replied Hunter, still without stopping. The man still
followed, like a beggar soliciting charity.

'Be any use calling in a day or so, sir?'

'Don't think so,' Hunter replied. 'Can if you like; but we're full up.'

'Thank you, sir,' said the man, and turned back to his friends.

By this time Hunter was within a few yards of one of the other two men,
who also came to speak to him. This man felt there was no hope of
getting a job; still, there was no harm in asking. Besides, he was
getting desperate. It was over a month now since he had finished up
for his last employer. It had been a very slow summer altogether.
Sometimes a fortnight for one firm; then perhaps a week doing nothing;
then three weeks or a month for another firm, then out again, and so
on. And now it was November. Last winter they had got into debt;
that was nothing unusual, but owing to the bad summer they had not been
able, as in other years, to pay off the debts accumulated in winter.
It was doubtful, too, whether they would be able to get credit again
this winter. In fact this morning when his wife sent their little girl
to the grocer's for some butter the latter had refused to let the child
have it without the money. So although he felt it to be useless he
accosted Hunter.

This time Hunter stopped: he