Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell (read novel full TXT) 📖

the kitchen and sat down at the table.

 

`I couldn’t think what to give you to eat tonight,’ said Ruth as she

poured out the tea. `I hadn’t got no money left and there wasn’t

nothing in the house except bread and butter and that piece of cheese,

so I cut some bread and butter and put some thin slices of cheese on

it and toasted it on a place in front of the fire. I hope you’ll like

it: it was the best I could do.’

 

`That’s all right: it smells very nice anyway, and I’m very hungry.’

 

As they were taking their tea Easton told his wife about Linden’s

affair and his apprehensions as to what might befall himself. They

were both very indignant, and sorry for poor old Linden, but their

sympathy for him was soon forgotten in their fears for their own

immediate future.

 

They remained at the table in silence for some time: then,

 

`How much rent do we owe now?’ asked Easton.

 

`Four weeks, and I promised the collector the last time he called that

we’d pay two weeks next Monday. He was quite nasty about it.’

 

`Well, I suppose you’ll have to pay it, that’s all,’ said Easton.

 

`How much money will you have tomorrow?’ asked Ruth.

 

He began to reckon up his time: he started on Monday and today was

Friday: five days, from seven to five, less half an hour for breakfast

and an hour for dinner, eight and a half hours a day - forty-two hours

and a half. At sevenpence an hour that came to one pound four and

ninepence halfpenny.

 

`You know I only started on Monday,’ he said, `so there’s no back day

to come. Tomorrow goes into next week.’

 

`Yes, I know,’ replied Ruth.

 

`If we pay the two week’s rent that’ll leave us twelve shillings to

live on.’

 

`But we won’t be able to keep all of that,’ said Ruth, `because

there’s other things to pay.’

 

`What other things?’

 

`We owe the baker eight shillings for the bread he let us have while

you were not working, and there’s about twelve shillings owing for

groceries. We’ll have to pay them something on account. Then we want

some more coal; there’s only about a shovelful left, and -‘

 

`Wait a minnit,’ said Easton. `The best way is to write out a list of

everything we owe; then we shall know exactly where we are. You get

me a piece of paper and tell me what to write. Then we’ll see what it

all comes to.’

 

`Do you mean everything we owe, or everything we must pay tomorrow.’

 

`I think we’d better make a list of all we owe first.’

 

While they were talking the baby was sleeping restlessly, occasionally

uttering plaintive little cries. The mother now went and knelt at the

side of the cradle, which she gently rocked with one hand, patting the

infant with the other.

 

`Except the furniture people, the biggest thing we owe is the rent,’

she said when Easton was ready to begin.

 

`It seems to me,’ said he, as, after having cleared a space on the

table and arranged the paper, he began to sharpen his pencil with a

table-knife, `that you don’t manage things as well as you might. If

you was to make a list of just the things you MUST have before you

went out of a Saturday, you’d find the money would go much farther.

Instead of doing that you just take the money in your hand without

knowing exactly what you’re going to do with it, and when you come

back it’s all gone and next to nothing to show for it.’

 

His wife made no reply: her head was bent over the child.

 

`Now, let’s see,’ went on her husband. `First of all there’s the

rent. How much did you say we owe?’

 

`Four weeks. That’s the three weeks you were out and this week.’

 

`Four sixes is twenty-four; that’s one pound four,’ said Easton as he

wrote it down. `Next?’

 

`Grocer, twelve shillings.’

 

Easton looked up in astonishment.

 

`Twelve shillings. Why, didn’t you tell me only the other day that

you’d paid up all we owed for groceries?’

 

`Don’t you remember we owed thirty-five shillings last spring? Well,

I’ve been paying that bit by bit all the summer. I paid the last of

it the week you finished your last job. Then you were out three weeks

- up till last Friday - and as we had nothing in hand I had to get

what we wanted without paying for it.’

 

`But do you mean to say it cost us three shillings a week for tea and

sugar and butter?’

 

`It’s not only them. There’s been bacon and eggs and cheese and other

things.’

 

The man was beginning to become impatient.

 

`Well,’ he said, `What else?’

 

`We owe the baker eight shillings. We did owe nearly a pound, but

I’ve been paying it off a little at a time.’

 

This was added to the list.

 

`Then there’s the milkman. I’ve not paid him for four weeks. He

hasn’t sent a bill yet, but you can reckon it up; we have two

penn’orth every day.’

 

`That’s four and eight,’ said Easton, writing it down. `Anything

else?’

 

`One and seven to the greengrocer for potatoes, cabbage, and paraffin

oil.’

 

`Anything else?’

 

`We owe the butcher two and sevenpence.’

 

`Why, we haven’t had any meat for a long time,’ said Easton. `When

was it?’

 

`Three weeks ago; don’t you remember? A small leg of mutton,’

 

`Oh, yes,’ and he added the item.

 

`Then there’s the instalments for the furniture and oilcloth - twelve

shillings. A letter came from them today. And there’s something

else.’

 

She took three letters from the pocket of her dress and handed them to

him.

 

`They all came today. I didn’t show them to you before as I didn’t

want to upset you before you had your tea.’

 

Easton drew the first letter from its envelope.

 

CORPORATION OF MUGSBOROUGH

General District and Special Rates

FINAL NOTICE

 

MR W. EASTON,

 

I have to remind you that the amount due from you as under, in

respect of the above Rates, has not been paid, and to request that

you will forward the same within Fourteen Days from this date. You

are hereby informed that after this notice no further call will be

made, or intimation given, before legal proceedings are taken to

enforce payment.

By order of the Council.

JAMES LEAH.

Collector, No. 2 District.

District Rate …………………….. �- 13 11

Special Rate ……………………… 10 2

________

�1 4 1

 

The second communication was dated from the office of the Assistant

Overseer of the Poor. It was also a Final Notice and was worded in

almost exactly the same way as the other, the principal difference

being that it was `By order of the Overseers’ instead of `the

Council’. It demanded the sum of �1 1 5 1/2 for Poor Rate within

fourteen days, and threatened legal proceedings in default.

 

Easton laid this down and began to read the third letter -

 

J. DIDLUM & CO LTD.

Complete House Furnishers

QUALITY STREET, MUGSBOROUGH

 

MR W. EASTON,

 

SIR:

We have to remind you that three monthly payments of four shillings

each (12/- in all) became due on the first of this month, and we

must request you to let us have this amount BY RETURN OF POST.

 

Under the terms of your agreement you guaranteed that the money

should be paid on the Saturday of every fourth week. To prevent

unpleasantness, we must request you for the future to forward the

full amount punctually upon that day.

 

Yours truly,

J. DIDLUM & CO. LTD

 

He read these communications several times in silence and finally with

an oath threw them down on the table.

 

`How much do we still owe for the oilcloth and the furniture?’ he

asked.

 

`I don’t know exactly. It was seven pound odd, and we’ve had the

things about six months. We paid one pound down and three or four

instalments. I’ll get the card if you like.’

 

`No; never mind. Say we’ve paid one pound twelve; so we still owe

about six pound.’

 

He added this amount to the list.

 

`I think it’s a great pity we ever had the things at all,’ he said,

peevishly. `It would have been better to have gone without until we

could pay cash for them: but you would have your way, of course. Now

we’ll have this bloody debt dragging on us for years, and before the

dam stuff is paid for it’ll be worn out.’

 

The woman did not reply at once. She was bending down over the cradle

arranging the coverings which the restless movements of the child had

disordered. She was crying silently, unnoticed by her husband.

 

For months past - in fact ever since the child was born - she had been

existing without sufficient food. If Easton was unemployed they had

to stint themselves so as to avoid getting further into debt than was

absolutely necessary. When he was working they had to go short in

order to pay what they owed; but of what there was Easton himself,

without knowing it, always had the greater share. If he was at work

she would pack into his dinner basket overnight the best there was in

the house. When he was out of work she often pretended, as she gave

him his meals, that she had had hers while he was out. And all the

time the baby was draining her life away and her work was never done.

 

She felt very weak and weary as she crouched there, crying furtively

and trying not to let him see.

 

At last she said, without looking round:

 

`You know quite well that you were just as much in favour of getting

them as I was. If we hadn’t got the oilcloth there would have been

illness in the house because of the way the wind used to come up

between the floorboards. Even now of a windy day the oilcloth moves

up and down.’

 

`Well, I’m sure I don’t know,’ said Easton, as he looked alternatively

at the list of debts and the three letters. `I give you nearly every

farthing I earn and I never interfere about anything, because I think

it’s your part to attend to the house, but it seems to me you don’t

manage things properly.’

 

The woman suddenly burst into a passion of weeping, laying her head on

the seat of the chair that was standing near the cradle.

 

Easton started up in surprise.

 

`Why, what’s the matter?’ he said.

 

Then as he looked down upon the quivering form of the sobbing woman,

he was ashamed. He knelt down by her, embracing her and apologizing,

protesting that he had not meant to hurt her like that.

 

`I always do the best I can with the money,’ Ruth sobbed. `I never

spend a farthing on myself, but you don’t seem to understand how hard

it is. I don’t care nothing about having to go without things myself,

but I can’t bear it when you speak to me like you do lately. You seem

to blame me for everything. You usen’t to speak to me like that

before I - before - Oh, I am so tired - I am so tired, I wish I could

lie down somewhere and sleep and never wake up any more.’

 

She turned away from him, half kneeling,