Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell (read novel full TXT) 📖
- Author: Robert Tressell
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incomes are the lowest, they are compelled to buy the most expensive
articles - that is, the lowest-priced articles. Everybody knows that
good clothes, boots or furniture are really the cheapest in the end,
although they cost more money at first; but the working classes can
seldom or never afford to buy good things; they have to buy cheap
rubbish which is dear at any price.
Six weeks previously Owen bought a pair of second-hand boots for three
shillings and they were now literally falling to pieces. Nora’s shoes
were in much the same condition, but, as she said, it did not matter
so much about hers because there was no need for her to go out if the
weather were not fine.
In addition to the articles already mentioned, they had to spend
fourpence for half a gallon of paraffin oil, and to put sixpence into
the slot of the gas-stove. This reduced the money to five and
sevenpence farthing, and of this it was necessary to spend a shilling
on potatoes and other vegetables.
They both needed some new underclothing, for what they had was so old
and worn that it was quite useless for the purpose it was supposed to
serve; but there was no use thinking of these things, for they had now
only four shillings and sevenpence farthing left, and all that would
be needed for toys. They had to buy something special for Frankie for
Christmas, and it would also be necessary to buy something for each of
the children who were coming to the party on the following Monday.
Fortunately, there was no meat to buy, for Nora had been paying into
the Christmas Club at the butcher’s as well as at the grocer’s. So
this necessary was already paid for.
They stopped to look at the display of toys at Sweater’s Emporium.
For several days past Frankie had been talking of the wonders
contained in these windows, so they wished if possible to buy him
something here. They recognized many of the things from the
description the boy had given of them, but nearly everything was so
dear that for a long time they looked in vain for something it would
be possible to buy.
`That’s the engine he talks so much about,’ said Non, indicating a
model railway locomotive; that one marked five shillings.’
`It might just as well be marked five pounds as far as we’re
concerned,’ replied Owen.
As they were speaking, one of the salesmen appeared at the back of the
window and, reaching forward, removed the engine. It was probably the
last one of the kind and had evidently just been sold. Owen and Nora
experienced a certain amount of consolation in knowing that even if
they had the money they would not have been able to buy it.
After lengthy consideration, they decided on a clockwork engine at a
shilling, but the other toys they resolved to buy at a cheaper shop.
Nora went into the Emporium to get the toy and whilst Owen was waiting
for her Mr and Mrs Rushton came out. They did not appear to see Owen,
who observed that the shape of one of several parcels they carried
suggested that it contained the engine that had been taken from the
window a little while before.
When Nora returned with her purchase, they went in search of a cheaper
place and after a time they found what they wanted. For sixpence they
bought a cardboard box that had come all the way from Japan and
contained a whole family of dolls - father, mother and four children
of different sizes. A box of paints, threepence: a sixpenny tea
service, a threepenny drawing slate, and a rag doll, sixpence.
On their way home they called at a greengrocer’s where Owen had
ordered and paid for a small Christmas tree a few weeks before; and as
they were turning the corner of the street where they lived they met
Crass, half-drunk, with a fine fat goose slung over his shoulder by
its neck. He greeted Owen jovially and held up the bird for their
inspection.
`Not a bad tanner’s-worth, eh?’ he hiccoughed. `This makes two we’ve
got. I won this and a box of cigars - fifty - for a tanner, and the
other one I got out of the Club at our Church Mission ‘all: threepence
a week for twenty-eight weeks; that makes seven bob. But,’ he added,
confidentially,`‘you couldn’t buy ‘em for that price in a shop, you
know. They costs the committee a good bit more nor that - wholesale;
but we’ve got some rich gents on our committee and they makes up the
difference,’ and with a nod and a cunning leer he lurched off.
Frankie was sleeping soundly when they reached home, and so was the
kitten, which was curled up on the quilt on the foot of the bed.
After they had had some supper, although it was after eleven o’clock,
Owen fixed the tree in a large flowerpot that had served a similar
purpose before, and Nora brought out from the place where it had been
stored away since last Christmas a cardboard box containing a lot of
glittering tinsel ornaments - globes of silvered or gilded or painted
glass, birds, butterflies and stars. Some of these things had done
duty three Christmases ago and although they were in some instances
slightly tarnished most of them were as good as new. In addition to
these and the toys they had bought that evening they had a box of
bon-bons and a box of small coloured wax candles, both of which had
formed part of the things they got from the grocer’s with the
Christmas Club money; and there were also a lot of little coloured
paper bags of sweets, and a number of sugar and chocolate toys and
animals which had been bought two or three at a time for several weeks
past and put away for this occasion. There was something suitable for
each child that was coming, with the exception of Bert White; they had
intended to include a sixpenny pocket knife for him in their purchases
that evening, but as they had not been able to afford this Owen
decided to give him an old set of steel paining combs which he knew
the lad had often longed to possess. The tin case containing these
tools was accordingly wrapped in some red tissue paper and hung on the
tree with the other things.
They moved about as quietly as possible so as not to disturb those who
were sleeping in the rooms beneath, because long before they were
finished the people in the other parts of the house had all retired to
rest, and silence had fallen on the deserted streets outside. As they
were putting the final touches to their work the profound stillness of
the night was suddenly broken by the voices of a band of carol-singers.
The sound overwhelmed them with memories of other and happier times,
and Nora stretched out her hands impulsively to Owen, who drew her
close to his side.
They had been married just over eight years, and although during all
that time they had never been really free from anxiety for the future,
yet on no previous Christmas had they been quite so poor as now.
During the last few years periods of unemployment had gradually become
more frequent and protracted, and the attempt he had made in the early
part of the year to get work elsewhere had only resulted in plunging
them into even greater poverty than before. But all the same there
was much to be thankful for: poor though they were, they were far
better off than many thousands of others: they still had food and
shelter, and they had each other and the boy.
Before they went to bed Owen carried the tree into Frankie’s bedroom
and placed it so that he would be able to see it in all its glittering
glory as soon as he awoke on Christmas morning.
The Pandorama
Although the party was not supposed to begin till six o’clock, Bert
turned up at half past four, bringing the `Pandoramer’ with him.
At about half past five the other guests began to arrive. Elsie and
Charley Linden came first, the girl in a pretty blue frock trimmed
with white lace, and Charley resplendent in a new suit, which, like
his sister’s dress, had been made out of somebody’s castoff clothes
that had been given to their mother by a visiting lady. It had taken
Mrs Linden many hours of hard work to contrive these garments; in
fact, more time than the things were worth, for although they looked
all right - especially Elsie’s - the stuff was so old that it would
not wear very long: but this was the only way in which she could get
clothes for the children at all: she certainly could not afford to buy
them any. So she spent hours and hours making things that she knew
would fall to pieces almost as soon as they were made.
After these came Nellie, Rosie and Tommy Newman. These presented a
much less prosperous appearance than the other two. Their mother was
not so skilful at contriving new clothes out of old. Nellie was
wearing a grown-up woman’s blouse, and by way of ulster she had on an
old-fashioned jacket of thick cloth with large pearl buttons. This
was also a grown-up woman’s garment: it was shaped to fit the figure
of a tall woman with wide shoulders and a small waist; consequently,
it did not fit Nellie to perfection. The waist reached below the poor
child’s hips.
Tommy was arrayed in the patched remains of what had once been a good
suit of clothes. They had been purchased at a second-hand shop last
summer and had been his `best’ for several months, but they were now
much too small for him.
Little Rosie - who was only just over three years old - was better off
than either of the other two, for she had a red cloth dress that
fitted her perfectly: indeed, as the district visitor who gave it to
her mother had remarked, it looked as if it had been made for her.
`It’s not much to look at,’ observed Nellie, referring to her big
jacket, but all the same we was very glad of it when the rain came
on.’
The coat was so big that by withdrawing her arms from the sleeves and
using it as a cloak or shawl she had managed to make it do for all
three of them.
Tommy’s boots were so broken that the wet had got in and saturated his
stockings, so Nora made him take them all off and wear some old ones
of Frankie’s whilst his own were drying at the fire.
Philpot, with two large paper bags full of oranges and nuts, arrived
just as they were sitting down to tea - or rather cocoa - for with the
exception of Bert all the children expressed a preference for the
latter beverage. Bert would have liked to have cocoa also, but
hearing that the grown-ups were going to have tea, he thought it would
be more manly to do the same. This question of having tea or cocoa
for tea became a cause of much uproarious merriment on the part of the
children, who asked each other repeatedly which they liked best, `tea
tea?’ or `cocoa tea?’ They thought it so funny that they said it over
and over again, screaming with laughter all the while, until Tommy got
a piece of cake stuck in his throat
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