The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists
When he was preparing to go out, the front door bell rang, and as he was going down to answer it he saw Bert White coming upstairs. The boy was carrying a flat brown paper parcel under his arm.
'A corfin plate,' he explained as he arrived at the door. 'Wanted at once—Misery ses you can do it at 'ome, an' I've got to wait for it.'
Owen and his wife looked at each other with intense relief. So he was not to be dismissed after all. It was almost too good to be true.
'There's a piece of paper inside the parcel with the name of the party what's dead,' continued Bert, 'and here's a little bottle of brunswick black for you to do the inscription with.'
'Did he send any other message?'
'Yes: 'e told me to tell you there's a job to be started Monday morning—a couple of rooms to be done out somewhere. Got to be finished by Thursday. And there's another job 'e wants you to do this afternoon after dinner, so you've got to come to the yard at one o'clock. 'E told me to tell you 'e meant to leave a message for you yesterday morning but 'e forgot.'
'What did he say to you about the fire—anything?'
'Yes: they both of 'em came about an hour after you went away, Misery and the Bloke too, but they didn't kick up a row. I wasn't arf frightened I can tell you when I saw 'em both coming, but they was quite nice. The Bloke ses to me: "Ah, that's right, my boy," 'e ses, "keep up a good fire, I'm going to send you some coke," 'e ses. And then they 'ad a look round and 'e told Sawkins to put some new panes of glass where the winder was broken, and—you know that great big packing case what was under the truck shed?'
'Yes.'
'Well, 'e told Sawkins to saw it up and cover over the stone floor of the paint shop with it. It ain't 'arf all right there now. I've cleared out all the muck from under the benches and we've got two sacks of coke sent from the gas works, and the Bloke told me when that's all used up I've got to get a order orf Miss Wade at the office for another lot.'
At one o'clock Owen was at the yard, where he saw Misery, who instructed him to go to the front shop and paint some numbers on the racks where the wall papers were stored.
384
