第79章

The Forty Thieves.The Battle: Brigands versus Bandits This is an even more unusually dull and uninteresting chapter, and introduces several matters that may appear to have nothing to do with the case.The reader is nevertheless entreated to peruse it, because it contains certain information necessary to an understanding of this history.

The town of Mugsborough was governed by a set of individuals called the Municipal Council.Most of these `representatives of the people'

were well-to-do or retired tradesmen.In the opinion of the inhabitants of Mugsborough, the fact that a man had succeeded in accumulating money in business was a clear demonstration of his fitness to be entrusted with the business of the town.

Consequently, when that very able and successful man of business Mr George Rushton was put up for election to the Council he was returned by a large majority of the votes of the working men who thought him an ideal personage...

These Brigands did just as they pleased.No one ever interfered with them.They never consulted the ratepayers in any way.Even at election time they did not trouble to hold meetings: each one of them just issued a kind of manifesto setting forth his many noble qualities and calling upon the people for their votes: and the latter never failed to respond.They elected the same old crew time after time...

The Brigands committed their depredations almost unhindered, for the voters were engaged in the Battle of Life.Take the public park for instance.Like so many swine around a trough - they were so busily engaged in this battle that most of them had no time to go to the park, or they might have noticed that there were not so many costly plants there as there should have been.And if they had inquired further they would have discovered that nearly all the members of the Town Council had very fine gardens.There was reason for these gardens being so grand, for the public park was systematically robbed of its best to make them so.

There was a lake in the park where large numbers of ducks and geese were kept at the ratepayers' expense.In addition to the food provided for these fowl with public money, visitors to the park used to bring them bags of biscuits and bread crusts.When the ducks and geese were nicely fattened the Brigands used to carry them off and devour them at home.When they became tired of eating duck or goose, some of the Councillors made arrangements with certain butchers and traded away the birds for meat.

One of the most energetic members of the Band was Mr Jeremiah Didlum, the house-furnisher, who did a large hire system trade.He had an extensive stock of second-hand furniture that he had resumed possession of when the unfortunate would-be purchasers failed to pay the instalments regularly.Other of the second-hand things had been purchased for a fraction of their real value at Sheriff's sales or from people whom misfortune or want of employment had reduced to the necessity of selling their household possessions.

Another notable member of the Band was Mr Amos Grinder, who had practically monopolized the greengrocery trade and now owned nearly all the fruiterers' shops in the town.As for the other shops, if they did not buy their stocks from him - or, rather, the company of which he was managing director and principal shareholder - if these other fruiterers and greengrocers did not buy their stuff from his company, he tried to smash them by opening branches in their immediate neighbourhood and selling below cost.He was a self-made man: an example of what may be accomplished by cunning and selfishness.

Then there was the Chief of the Band - Mr Adam Sweater, the Mayor.He was always the Chief, although he was not always Mayor, it being the rule that the latter `honour' should be enjoyed by all the members of the Band in turn.A bright `honour', forsooth! to be the first citizen in a community composed for the most part of ignorant semi-imbeciles, slaves, slave-drivers and psalm-singing hypocrites.

Mr Sweater was the managing director and principal shareholder of a large drapery business in which he had amassed a considerable fortune.

This was not very surprising, considering that he paid none of his workpeople fair wages and many of them no wages at all.He employed a great number of girls and young women who were supposed to be learning dressmaking, mantle-making or millinery.These were all indentured apprentices, some of whom had paid premiums of from five to ten pounds.They were `bound' for three years.For the first two years they received no wages: the third year they got a shilling or eightpence a week.At the end of the third year they usually got the sack, unless they were willing to stay on as improvers at from three shillings to four and sixpence per week.

They worked from half past eight in the morning till eight at night, with an interval of an hour for dinner, and at half past four they ceased work for fifteen minutes for tea.This was provided by the firm - half a pint for each girl, but they had to bring their own milk and sugar and bread and butter.

Few of the girls ever learned their trades thoroughly.Some were taught to make sleeves; others cuffs or button-holes, and so on.The result was that in a short time each one became very expert and quick at one thing; and although their proficiency in this one thing would never enable them to earn a decent living, it enabled Mr Sweater to make money during the period of their apprenticeship, and that was all he cared about.

Occasionally a girl of intelligence and spirit would insist on the fulfilment of the terms of her indentures, and sometimes the parents would protest.If this were persisted in those girls got on better: