The next morning Philpot brought the list to the yard and Crass and Slyme put their names down for a shilling each, and Sawkins for threepence, it being arranged that the money was to be paid on payday -Christmas Eve.In the meantime, Philpot was to see as many as he could of those who were in work, at other firms and get as many subscriptions as possible.
At pay-time on Christmas Eve Philpot turned up with the list and Owen and the others paid him the amounts they had put their names down for.
From other men he had succeeded in obtaining nine and sixpence, mostly in sixpences and threepences.Some of this money he had already received, but for the most part he had made appointments with the subscribers to call at their homes that evening.It was decided that Owen should accompany him and also go with him to hand over the money to Mrs Newman.
It took them nearly three hours to get in all the money, for the places they had to go to were in different localities, and in one or two cases they had to wait because their man had not yet come home, and sometimes it was not possible to get away without wasting a little time in talk.In three instances those who had put their names down for threepence increased the amount to sixpence and one who had promised sixpence gave a shilling.There were two items of threepence each which they did not get at all, the individuals who had put their names down having gone upon the drunk.Another cause of delay was that they met or called on several other men who had not yet been asked for a subscription, and there were several others - including some members of the Painters Society whom Owen had spoken to during the week - who had promised him to give a subscription.In the end they succeeded in increasing the total amount to nineteen and ninepence, and they then put three-halfpence each to make it up to a pound.
The Newmans lived in a small house the rent of which was six shillings per week and taxes.To reach the house one had to go down a dark and narrow passage between two shops, the house being in a kind of well, surrounded by the high walls of the back parts of larger buildings -chiefly business premises and offices.The air did not circulate very freely in this place, and the rays of the sun never reached it.In the summer the atmosphere was close and foul with the various odours which came from the back-yards of the adjoining buildings, and in the winter it was dark and damp and gloomy, a culture-ground for bacteria and microbes.The majority of those who profess to be desirous of preventing and curing the disease called consumption must be either hypocrites or fools, for they ridicule the suggestion that it is necessary first to cure and prevent the poverty that compels badly clothed and half-starved human beings to sleep in such dens as this.
The front door opened into the living-room or, rather, kitchen, which was dimly lighted by a small paraffin lamp on the table, where were also some tea-cups and saucers, each of a different pattern, and the remains of a loaf of bread.The wallpaper was old and discoloured; a few almanacs and unframed prints were fixed to the walls, and on the mantelshelf were some cracked and worthless vases and ornaments.At one time they had possessed a clock and an overmantel and some framed pictures, but they had all been sold to obtain money to buy food.
Nearly everything of any value had been parted with for the same reason - the furniture, the pictures, the bedclothes, the carpet and the oilcloth, piece by piece, nearly everything that had once constituted the home - had been either pawned or sold to buy food or to pay rent during the times when Newman was out of work - periods that had recurred during the last few years with constantly increasing frequency and duration.Now there was nothing left but these few old broken chairs and the deal table which no one would buy; and upstairs, the wretched bedsteads and mattresses whereon they slept at night, covering themselves with worn-out remnants of blankets and the clothes they wore during the day.
In answer to Philpot's knock, the door was opened by a little girl about seven years old, who at once recognized Philpot, and called out his name to her mother, and the latter came also to the door, closely followed by two other children, a little, fragile-looking girl about three, and a boy about five years of age, who held on to her skirt and peered curiously at the visitors.Mrs Newman was about thirty, and her appearance confirmed the statement of Philpot that she had only just recovered from an illness; she was very white and thin and dejected-looking.When Philpot explained the object of their visit and handed her the money, the poor woman burst into tears, and the two smaller children - thinking that this piece of paper betokened some fresh calamity - began to cry also.They remembered that all their troubles had been preceded by the visits of men who brought pieces of paper, and it was rather difficult to reassure them.
That evening, after Frankie was asleep, Owen and Nora went out to do their Christmas marketing.They had not much money to spend, for Owen had brought home only seventeen shillings.He had worked thirty-three hours - that came to nineteen and threepence - one shilling and threehalfpence had gone on the subscription list, and he had given the rest of the coppers to a ragged wreck of a man who was singing a hymn in the street.The other shilling had been deducted from his wages in repayment of a `sub' he had had during the week.
There was a great deal to be done with this seventeen shillings.
First of all there was the rent - seven shillings - that left ten.
Then there was the week's bread bill - one and threepence.They had a pint of milk every day, chiefly for the boy's sake - that came to one and two.Then there was one and eight for a hundredweight of coal that had been bought on credit.Fortunately, there were no groceries to buy, for the things they had obtained with their Christmas Club money would be more than sufficient for the ensuing week.
