. And all the time he strives to keep up an appearance of
being well-to-do, and would be highly indignant if anyone suggested
that he was really in a condition of abject, miserable poverty.
Although he knows that his children are often not so well fed as are
the pet dogs and cats of his 'betters', he tries to bluff his
neighbours into thinking that he has some mysterious private means of
which they know nothing, and conceals his poverty as if it were a
crime. Most of this class of men would rather starve than beg.
Consequently not more than a quarter of the men in the procession were
skilled artisans; the majority were labourers.

There was also a sprinkling of those unfortunate outcasts of
society--tramps and destitute, drunken loafers. If the self-righteous
hypocrites who despise these poor wretches had been subjected to the
same conditions, the majority of them would inevitably have become the
same as these.

Haggard and pale, shabbily or raggedly dressed, their boots broken and
down at heel, they slouched past. Some of them stared about with a
dazed or half-wild expression, but most of them walked with downcast
eyes or staring blankly straight in front of them. They appeared
utterly broken-spirited, hopeless and ashamed...

'Anyone can see what THEY are,' sneered Crass, 'there isn't fifty
genuine tradesmen in the whole crowd, and most of 'em wouldn't work if
they 'ad the offer of it.'

'That's just what I was thinkin',' agreed Sawkins with a laugh.

'There will be plenty of time to say that when they have been offered
work and have refused to do it,' said Owen.

'This sort of thing does the town a lot of 'arm,' remarked Slyme; 'it
oughtn't to be allowed; the police ought to stop it. It's enough to
drive all the gentry out of the place!'

'Bloody disgraceful, I call it,' said Crass, 'marchin' along the Grand
Parade on a beautiful day like this, just at the very time when most of
the gentry is out enjoyin' the fresh hair.'

'I suppose you think they ought to stay at home and starve quietly,'
said Owen. 'I don't see why these men should care what harm they do to
the town; the town doesn't seem to care much what becomes of THEM.'

'Do you believe in this sort of thing, then?' asked Slyme.

'No; certainly not. I don't believe in begging as a favour for what
one is entitled to demand as a right from the thieves who have robbed
them and who are now enjoying the fruits of their labour. From the
look of