above the noise of interruptions, hostile or friendly. It now became
impossible for him to proceed. A man who was lifted on to the shoulders
of two others began to make a counter-speech, roaring so that those
around could not but attend to him. He declared himself one of those
whom Mutimer had robbed; all his savings for seven months were gone; he
was now out of work, and his family would soon be starving. Richard's
blood boiled as he heard these words.

'You lie!' he bellowed in return; 'I know you. You are the fellow who
said last night that I should run away, and never come at all to this
meeting. I called you a blackguard then, and I call you a liar now. You
have put in my hand six threepences, and no more. The money you might
have saved you constantly got drunk upon. Your money is waiting for you:
you have only to come and apply for it. And I say the same to all
the rest. I am ready to pay all the money back, and pay it too with
interest.'

'Of course you are!' vociferated the other. 'You can't steal it, so you
offer to give it back. We know that game.'

It was the commencement of utter confusion. A hundred voices were trying
to make themselves heard. The great crowd swayed this way and that.
Mutimer looked on a tempest of savage faces--a sight which might have
daunted any man in his position. Fists were shaken at him, curses were
roared at him from every direction. It was clear that the feeling of
the mob was hopelessly against him; his explanations were ridiculed. A
second man was reared on others' shoulders; but instead of speaking from
the place where he was, he demanded to be borne forward and helped to
a standing on the cart. This was effected after a brief struggle with
Mutimer's supporters. Then all at once there was a cessation of the
hubbub that the new speaker might be heard.

'Look at this man!' he cried, pointing at Mutimer, who had drawn as far
aside as the cart would let him. 'He's been a-tellin' you what he did
when somebody died an' left him a fortune. There's just one thing he's
forgot, an' shall I tell you what that is? When he was a workin' man
like ourselves, mates, he was a-goin' to marry a pore girl, a workin'
girl. When he gets his money, what does he do? Why, he pitches her
over, if you please, an' marries a fine lady, as took him because he
was rich--that's the way _ladies_ always chooses their husbands,
y'understand.'

He was interrupted by a terrific yell, but by dint of vigorous p