offer
fifty pounds for a live policeman."

"I'll tell you what," said the second pikeman. "I'll stop my stint and
go up the shaft. My heart's all of a flutter, I can't work no more.
We'll have a fair day's wage for a fair day's work yet."

"Come along, I'm your man; if the doggy stop us, we'll knock him down.
The People must have their rights; we're driven to this, but if one
shilling a day is dropped, why not two?"

"Very true; the People must have their rights, and eight hours' work is
quite enough."

In the light of day, the two miners soon learnt in more detail the news
which the wife of one of them earlier in the morning had given as a
rumour. There seemed now no doubt that the people of Wodgate, commonly
called the Hell-cats, headed by their Bishop, had invaded in great
force the surrounding district, stopped all the engines, turned all
the potters out of the manufactories, met with no resistance from the
authorities, and issued a decree that labour was to cease until the
Charter was the law of the land.

This last edict was not the least surprising part of the whole affair;
for no one could have imagined that the Bishop or any of his subjects
had ever even heard of the Charter, much less that they could by any
circumstances comprehend its nature, or by any means be induced to
believe that its operation would further their interests or redress
their grievances. But all this had been brought about, as most of the
great events of history, by the unexpected and unobserved influence of
individual character.

A Chartist leader had been residing for some time at Wodgate, ever since
the distress had become severe, and had obtained great influence and
popularity by assuring a suffering and half-starving population, that
they were entitled to four shillings a day and two pots of ale, and only
eight hours' work. He was a man of abilities and of popular eloquence,
and his representations produced an effect; their reception invested
him with influence, and as he addressed a population who required
excitement, being very slightly employed and with few resources for
their vacant hours, the Chartist who was careful never to speak of
the Charter became an important personage at Wodgate, and was much
patronized by Bishop Hatton and his Lady, whose good offices he was
sedulous to conciliate. At the right moment, everything being ripe
and well prepared, the Bishop being very drunk and harassed by the
complaints of his subje