d to know everything, and the vague references he was in the
habit of making to 'tones', and 'shades', and 'harmony', had so
impressed Hunter that the latter had a high opinion of him as a
workman. It was by pushing himself forward in this way and by
judicious toadying to Hunter that Crass managed to get himself put in
charge of work.

Although Crass did as little work as possible himself he took care that
the others worked hard. Any man who failed to satisfy him in this
respect he reported to Hunter as being 'no good', or 'too slow for a
funeral'. The result was that this man was dispensed with at the end
of the week. The men knew this, and most of them feared the wily Crass
accordingly, though there were a few whose known abilities placed them
to a certain extent above the reach of his malice. Frank Owen was one
of these.

There were others who by the judicious administration of pipefuls of
tobacco and pints of beer, managed to keep in Crass's good graces and
often retained their employment when better workmen were 'stood off'.

As he walked home through the rain thinking of these things, Easton
realized that it was not possible to foresee what a day or even an hour
might bring forth.

By this time he had arrived at his home; it was a small house, one of a
long row of similar ones, and it contained altogether four rooms.

The front door opened into a passage about two feet six inches wide and
ten feet in length, covered with oilcloth. At the end of the passage
was a flight of stairs leading to the upper part of the house. The
first door on the left led into the front sitting-room, an apartment
about nine feet square, with a bay window. This room was very rarely
used and was always very tidy and clean. The mantelpiece was of wood
painted black and ornamented with jagged streaks of red and yellow,
which were supposed to give it the appearance of marble. On the walls
was a paper with a pale terra-cotta ground and a pattern consisting of
large white roses with chocolate coloured leaves and stalks.

There was a small iron fender with fire-irons to match, and on the
mantelshelf stood a clock in a polished wood case, a pair of blue glass
vases, and some photographs in frames. The floor was covered with
oilcloth of a tile pattern in yellow and red. On the walls were two or
three framed coloured prints such as are presented with Christmas
numbers of illustrated papers. There was also a photograph of a group
o