第99章

In the middle of the shop, under a two-armed gas pendant, was another table or bench, also thickly coated with old, dried paint, and by the side of this were two large stands on which were hanging up to dry some of the lathes of the venetian blinds belonging to `The Cave', which Crass and Slyme were painting - piecework - in their spare time.

The remainder of the lathes were leaning against the walls or piled in stacks on the table.

Crass shivered with cold as he lit the two gas-jets.`Make a bit of a fire, Alf, he said, `while I gets the colour ready.'

Slyme went outside and presently returned with his arms full of old wood, which he smashed up and threw into the fireplace; then he took an empty paint-pot and filled it with turpentine from the big tank and emptied it over the wood.Amongst the pots on the mixing bench he found one full of old paint, and he threw this over the wood also, and in a few minutes he had made a roaring fire.

Meantime, Crass had prepared the paint and brushes and taken down the lathes from the drying frames.The two men now proceeded with the painting of the blinds, working rapidly, each lathe being hung on the wires of the drying frame after being painted.They talked freely as they worked, having no fear of being overheard by Rushton or Nimrod.

This job was piecework, so it didn't matter whether they talked or not.They waxed hilarious over Old Latham's discomfiture and wondered what he would say if he could see them now.Then the conversation drifted to the subject of the private characters of the other men who were employed by Rushton & Co., and an impartial listener - had there been one there - would have been forced to come to the same conclusion as Crass and Slyme did: namely, that they themselves were the only two decent fellows on the firm.There was something wrong or shady about everybody else.That bloke Barrington, for instance - it was a very funny business, you know, for a chap like 'im to be workin' as a labourer, it looked very suspicious.Nobody knowed exactly who 'e was or where 'e come from, but anyone could tell 'e'd been a toff.It was very certain 'e'd never bin brought up to work for 'is livin'.The most probable explanation was that 'e'd committed some crime and bin disowned by 'is family - pinched some money, or forged a cheque or something like that.Then there was that Sawkins.He was no class whatever.It was a well-known fact that he used to go round to Misery's house nearly every night to tell him every little thing that had happened on the job during the day! As for Payne, the foreman carpenter, the man was a perfect fool: he'd find out the difference if ever he got the sack from Rushton's and went to work for some other firm! He didn't understand his trade, and he couldn't make a coffin properly to save 'is life! Then there was that rotter Owen; there was a bright specimen for yer! An Atheist! didn't believe in no God or Devil or nothing else.A pretty state of things there would be if these Socialists could have their own way: for one thing, nobody would be allowed to work overtime!

Crass and Slyme worked and talked in this manner till ten o'clock, and then they extinguished the fire by throwing some water on it - put out the gas and locked up the shop and the yard, dropping the key of the latter into the letter-box at Rushton's office on their way home.

In this way they worked at the blinds nearly every night for three weeks.

When Saturday arrived the, men working at `The Cave' were again surprised that nobody was sacked, and they were divided in opinion as to the reason, some thinking that Nimrod was determined to keep them all on till the job was finished, so as to get it done as quickly as possible; and others boldly asserting the truth of a rumour that had been going about for several days that the firm had another big job in.Mr Sweater had bought another house; Rushton had to do it up, and they were all to be kept on to start this other work as soon as `The Cave' was finished.Crass knew no more than anyone else and he maintained a discreet silence, but the fact that he did not contradict the rumour served to strengthen it.The only foundation that existed for this report was that Rushton and Misery had been seen looking over the garden gate of a large empty house near `The Cave'.But although it had such an insignificant beginning, the rumour had grown and increased in detail and importance day by day.That very morning at breakfast-time, the man on the pail had announced that he had heard on the very best authority that Mr Sweater had sold all his interest in the great business that bore his name and was about to retire into private life, and that he intended to buy up all the house property in the neighbourhood of `The Cave'.Another individual - one of the new hands - said that he had heard someone else - in a public house - say that Rushton was about to marry one of Sweater's daughters, and that Sweater intended to give the couple a house to live in, as a wedding present: but the fact that Rushton was already married and the father of four children, rather knocked the bottom out of this story, so it was regretfully dismissed.Whatever the reason, the fact remained that nobody had been discharged, and when pay-time arrived they set out for the office in high spirits.

That evening, the weather being fine, Slyme went out as usual to his open-air meeting, but Easton departed from HIS usual custom of rushing off to the `Cricketers' directly he had had his tea, having on this occasion promised to wait for Ruth and to go with her to do the marketing.The baby was left at home alone, asleep in the cradle.