mselves drunk on "Pain-killer";
how he had seen strong, young station hands, who had not tasted spirits
for months, come down from the hills with a hundred pounds in their
pockets, and drink themselves into "doddery" old men in a fortnight in
the nearest township, where they were kept drunk on drugged liquor till
all their hard-earned wages were gone.

The whole room listened in dead silence. No feet shuffled. Mr. Gresley
looked patronizingly at Dick's splendid figure and large, outstretched
hand, with the crooked middle finger, which he had cut off by mistake in
the bush and had stuck on again himself. Then the young Vicar glanced
smiling at the audience, feeling that he had indeed elicited a "lay
opinion" of the best kind.

"Now what are the causes of all these dreadful things?" continued Dick.
"I'm speaking to the men here, not the women. What are the causes of all
this poverty and vice and scamped workmanship, and weak eyes and shaky
hands, on the top of high wages? I tell you they come from two things,
and one is as bad as the other. One is drinking too much, and the other
is drinking bad liquor. Every man who's worth his salt," said Dick,
balancing his long bent finger on the middle of his other palm, "should
know when he has had enough. Some can carry more, some less." Mr.
Gresley started and signed to Dick, but Dick did not notice. "Bad liquor
is at the root of half the drunkenness I know. I don't suppose there are
many publicans here to-night, for this meeting isn't quite in their
line; and if there are, they can't have come expecting compliments. But
if you fellows think you get good liquor at the publics round here, I
tell you you are jolly well mistaken."

"Hear! hear!" shouted several voices.

"I've been in the course of the last week to most of the public-houses
in Southminster and Westhope and Warpington to see what sort of stuff
they sold, and upon my soul, gentlemen, if I settled in Warpington I'd,
I'd"--Dick hesitated for a simile strong enough--"I'd turn teetotaler
until I left it again, rather than swallow the snake poison they serve
out to you."

There was a general laugh, in the midst of which Mr. Gresley, whose
complexion had deepened, sprang to his feet and endeavored to attract
Dick's attention, but Dick saw nothing but his audience. Mr. Gresley
began to speak in his high, "singsong" voice.

"My young friend," he said, "has mistaken the object of this meeting. In
short I must--"

"Not a