t it in gaol?'

'Yer don't mean that, gov'nor, do yer?' whined the old man, 'I always
kep my self respectable; 'ere, look at these 'ere testimonials, gov'nor,
. . .' He drew from his coat a disgusting object, a bundle of papers
tied together with string.

'I don't want to see them,' said Farwell. 'I wouldn't employ you if I
could. Why don't you go to the workhouse?'

The old man almost bridled.

'Why? Because you're a stuck up. D'you hear? You're proud of being poor.
That's about as vulgar as bragging because you're rich. If you and all
the likes of you went into the House, you'd reform the system in a week.
Understand?'

The old man's eyes were fixed on the speaker, uncomprehending.

'Better still, go and throw any bit of dirt you pick up at a policeman,'
continued Farwell. 'See he gets it in the mouth. You get locked up.
Suppose a million of the likes of you do the same, what d'you think
happens?'

'I dunno,' said the old man.

'Well, your penal system is bust. If you offend the law you're a
criminal. But what's the law? the opinion of the majority. If the
majority goes against the law, then the minority becomes criminal. The
world's upside down.' Farwell smiled. 'The world's upside down,' he said
softly, licking his lips.

'Give us a copper for a bed, guv'nor,' said the old man dully.

'What's the good of a bed to you?' exploded Farwell. 'Why don't you have
a drink?'

'I'm a teetotaller, guv'nor; always kep' myself respectable.'

'Respectable! You're earning the wages of respectability, that is
death,' said Farwell with a wolfish laugh. 'Why, man, can't you see
you've been on the wrong tack? We don't want any more of you
respectables. We want pirates, vampires. We want all this society of
yours rotted by internal canker, so that we can build a new one. But we
must rot it first. We aren't going to work on a sow's ear.'

'Give us a copper, guv'nor,' moaned the old man.

Farwell took out sixpence and laid it on the seat. 'Now then,' he said,
'you can have this if you'll swear to blow it in drink.'

'I will, s'elp me Gawd,' said the old man eagerly.

Farwell pushed the coin towards him.

'Take it, teetotaller,' he sneered, 'your respectable system of bribery
has bought you for sixpence. Now let me see you go into that pub.'

The old man clutched the sixpence and staggered to his feet. Farwell
watched the swing doors of the public bar at the end of the passage
close behind him. Then he got up and wa