ell kind of system do you think we ought to 'ave?'
demanded Crass. 'If everything's wrong, 'ow's it goin' to be altered?'

At this, everybody brightened up again, and exchanged looks of
satisfaction and relief. Of course! It wasn't necessary to think
about these things at all! Nothing could ever be altered: it had
always been more or less the same, and it always would be.

'It seems to me that you all HOPE it is impossible to alter it,' said
Owen. 'Without trying to find out whether it could be done, you
persuade yourselves that it is impossible, and then, instead of being
sorry, you're glad!'

Some of them laughed in a silly, half-ashamed way.

'How do YOU reckon it could be altered?' said Harlow.

'The way to alter it is, first to enlighten the people as to the real
cause of their sufferings, and then--'

'Well,' interrupted Crass, with a self-satisfied chuckle, 'it'll take a
better bloody man than you to enlighten ME!'

'I don't want to be henlightened into Darkness!' said Slyme piously.

'But what sort of System do you propose, then?' repeated Harlow.

'After you've got 'em all enlightened--if you don't believe in sharing
out all the money equal, how ARE you goin' to alter it?'

'I don't know 'ow 'e's goin' to alter it,' sneered Crass, looking at
his watch and standing up, 'but I do know what the time is--two minits
past one!'

'The next lecture,' said Philpot, addressing the meeting as they all
prepared to return to work, 'the next lecture will be postponded till
tomorrer at the usual time, when it will be my painful dooty to call
upon Mr Owen to give 'is well-known and most hobnoxious address
entitled "Work and how to avoid it." Hall them as wants to be
henlightened kindly attend.'

'Or hall them as don't get the sack tonight,' remarked Easton grimly.

Chapter 26

The Slaughter

During the afternoon, Rushton and Sweater visited the house, the latter
having an appointment to meet there a gardener to whom he wished to
give instructions concerning the laying out of the grounds, which had
been torn up for the purpose of putting in the new drains. Sweater had
already arranged with the head gardener of the public park to steal
some of the best plants from that place and have them sent up to 'The
Cave'. These plants had been arriving in small lots for about a week.
They must have been brought there either in the evening after the men
left off or very early in the morning before they came.