Tipping the Velvet (59 page)

'"Why Socialism?'" he began. I jumped to my feet.

course it took considerably longer than one or two days for

'Well, that is hopeless, for a start. You can't mumble into him to learn even so much as a quarter of the words - Ralph your hands like that, and expect the folk in the gallery - I and I laboured together over his little speech, forcing the mean, at the back of the tent - to be able to hear you.'

phrases into his head and finding all sorts of tricks to make

'You are rather harsh, Nancy,' he said.

them stay there. I would sit like a prompter, the papers in 503

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my hand, Ralph declaiming before me in an effortful

'It won't rain,' I said. 'Stop fussing.' But she continued to monotone; I would have him recite to me over breakfast, or frown at the sky; and at length I joined her at the window, as we washed the dishes, or sat together beside the fire; I and gazed at the clouds myself.

would stand outside the kitchen door and have him shout

'If only it doesn't rain,' she said again; and to distract her I the words out to me as he lay in his bath.

breathed upon the glass and wrote our initials in the mist,

'How many times have you heard economists say that with a fingernail: N.A., F.B., 1895 & Always. I put a heart England is the richest nation in the world? If you were to around them and, piercing the heart, an arrow.

ask them what they meant by that, they would answer . . .

It did not rain that Sunday; indeed, the skies above Bethnal they would answer

Green were so blue and clear you might have been forgiven

'Ralph! They would answer: Look about you -

for thinking God Himself a socialist, the brilliant sun a kind They would answer: Look about you, at our great palaces of heavenly blessing. At Quilter Street we all rose early, and public buildings, our country houses and our . . .'

and bathed and washed our hair and dressed - it was like

'Our factories -'

getting ready for a wedding. I very gallantly decided not to

'Our factories and our ..."

risk my trousers on the crowd - socialists having such a

'Our Empire, Ralph!'

poor name already; instead, I wore a suit of navy-blue, with In time, of course, I learned the whole wretched speech scarlet frog-ging on the coat, and a matching necktie, and a myself, and could leave the sheets aside; but in time, too, billycock hat. As ladies' outfits went, it was a smart one; Ralph managed more or less to con it, and was able to even so, I found myself twitching irritably at my skirts as I stumble through from start to finish, without any prompts at paced the parlour waiting for Flo - and was soon joined by all, and sounding almost sensible.

Ralph, who was dressed up stiff as a clerk, and kept pulling Meanwhile, the day of the rally drew nearer, our hours at his collar where it chafed against his throat.

grew ever fuller and our tasks more rushed; and I - despite Florence herself wore the damson-coloured suit I so my grumbles - could not help but grow a little eager to see admired: I bought a flower for her, on the walk from the thing take place at last, and was as excited and as Bethnal Green, and pinned it to her jacket. It was a daisy, fretful, almost, as Florence herself.

big as a fist, and shone when the sun struck it, like a lamp.

If only it does not rain!' she said, gazing bleakly at the sky

'You shall certainly,' she said to me, 'not lose me in that.'

from our bedroom window, the night before the appointed Victoria Park itself we found transformed. Workmen had Sunday. 'If it rains, we shall have to have the pageant in a been busy raising tents and platforms and stalls all through tent; and nobody has rehearsed that. Or suppose it the weekend, and there were strings of flags and banners at thunders? Then no one will hear the speakers.'

every tree, and stall-holders already setting up their tables and displays. Florence had about a dozen lists of duties 505

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upon her, and now produced them, then went off to find brilliant and all the colours more gay, I found myself gazing Mrs Macey of the Guild. Ralph and I picked our way about me in a kind of wonder. 'If five thousand people through all the drooping bunting, to find the tent he was to come,' Florence had said the night before, 'we shall be speak in. It turned out to be the biggest of the lot: There'll happy . . .': but I thought, as I walked about, then moved to be room for seven hundred people in here, at the least!' the a rise of ground to lift Cyril to my shoulders and put my workmen told us cheerfully, as they filled it with chairs.

hand to my brow and survey the field, that there must be ten That made it greater than some of the halls I had used to times that number there - all the ordinary people of East play at; and when Ralph heard it, he turned very pale, and London, it seemed to be, all jumbled together in Victoria retired to a bench for another reading of his speech.

Park, good-natured and careless and dressed in their best.

After that, I took Cyril and wandered about, gazing at They came, I suppose, as much for the sun as for the whatever caught my eye and stopping to chat with girls I socialism. They spread blankets between the stalls and recognised, lending a hand with fluttering tablecloths, tents, and ate their lunches there, and lay with their splitting boxes, awkward rosettes. There were speakers and sweethearts and babies, and threw sticks for their dogs. But exhibitions there, it seemed to me, for every queer or I saw them listening, too, to the speakers at the stalls -

philanthropic society and cause you could imagine - trade sometimes nodding, sometimes arguing, sometimes unionists and suffragists, Christian Scientists, Christian frowning over a pamphlet, or placing their name upon a list, Socialists, Jewish Socialists, Irish Socialists, anarchists, or fishing pennies from their pockets, to give to some vegetarians . . . 'Ain't this marvellous?' I heard as I walked, cause.

from friends and strangers alike. 'Did you ever see a sight As I stood and looked, I saw a woman pass by with children like this?' One woman gave me a sash of satin to pin about at her skirts - it was Mrs Fryer, the poor needlewoman my hat; I fastened it to Cyril's frock instead, and when whom Florence and I had visited in the autumn. When I people saw him in the colours of the SDF, they smiled and called to her, she came smiling up to me. 'I got my place in shook his hand: 'Hallo, comrade!'

the union, after all,' she said. 'Your pal persuaded me to it. .

'Won't he remember this day, when he's grown!' said a man,

.' We stood chatting for a moment - her children had toffee-as he touched Cyril's head and gave him a penny. Then he apples, and held one up for Cyril to lick. Then there came a straightened, and studied the scene about him with shining blast of music, and people shuffled and murmured and eyes. 'We'll all remember this day, all right..."

craned their necks, and we stood together, lifting the I knew he was right. I had grumbled about it to Annie and children high, and watched the Workers' Pageant - a Miss Raymond, and I had sat sewing flags and banners, not procession of men and women dressed in all the costumes caring if the stitches were crooked or the satin got stained; of all the trades, carrying union banners and flags and but as the park began to fill, and the sun grew ever more flowers. It took quite half-an-hour for the pageant to pass; 507

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and when it had done so the people put their fingers to their

'Not at all! I remember how frightened I was on my first lips, and whistled and cheered and clapped. Mrs Fryer night; I thought I would be sick.'

wept, because her neighbour's eldest daughter was walking

'I thought I would be sick, a moment ago.'

in the line, dressed as a match-girl.

'Everybody thinks it, and no one is' This wasn't quite true: I I wished that Florence were with me, and kept looking for had often seen nervous artistes bent over bowls and fire-her damson-coloured suit and her daisy, but - though I saw buckets at the side of the stage; but I did not, of course, tell just about every other unionist who had ever passed through Ralph this.

our parlour -I did not see her once. When I found her at last,

'Did you ever play before a crowd that was rather rough, she was in the speakers' tent: she had spent all afternoon Nance?' he asked me now.

there, listening to the lectures. 'Have you heard?' she said

'What?' I said. 'At one hall - Deacon's, in Islington - there when she saw me. 'There's a rumour that Eleanor Marx is was a poor comedian on before us and some fellows coming: I daren't leave the tent, for fear of missing her jumped on to the stage and held him upside-down over the address!' It turned out she had eaten nothing since footlights, trying to set his hair on fire.' Ralph blinked two breakfast: I went off to buy her a packet of whelks from a or three times on hearing that, then looked hastily back into stall, and a cup of ginger ale. When I returned I found the tent, as if to make sure there were no naked flames Ralph beside her, sweating, still pulling at his collar, and about, over which an unfriendly audience might take it into paler than ever. Every seat in the tent was taken, and there their heads to try and tip him. Then he looked queasily at were people standing, besides. It was stiflingly hot, and the his cigarette, and threw it down.

heat was making everyone restless and cross. One speaker

'I think, if it's all the same to you,' he said, 'I shall just go had recently made an unpopular point, and been booed off and have another run through my address.' And before I from the platform.

could open my mouth to persuade him otherwise he had

'They won't boo you, Ralph,' I said; but when I saw that he slipped away, and left me smoking on my own.

was really miserable, I took his arm, left the baby with I did not mind: it was still pleasanter outside the tent than in Florence, and led him from his seat into the cooler air it. I put the cigarette between my lips and folded my arms, outside. 'Come on, come and have a fag with me. You and leaned back a little against the canvas. Then I closed mustn't let the crowd see you are nervous.'

my eyes, and let the sun fall full upon my face; then I took We stood just beyond a flap of the tent - a couple of men the fag away, and gave a yawn.

from Ralph's factory went by, and raised their hands to us -

And as I did so, there came a woman's voice at my and I lit us two cigarettes. Ralph's fingers shook as he held shoulder, that made me jump.

his, and he almost dropped it, then smiled apologetically:

'What a fool you must think me.'

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'Well! Of all the gals to see at a working people's rally, I wives. I changed my mind about it after that. I'm happy should've said that Nancy King would be about the last of enough, after all, in Stepney.'

'em.'

'You're in Stepney now? But then we're almost neighbours!

I opened my eyes, let my cigarette fall, and turned to the I live in Bethnal Green. With my sweetheart. Look, she's woman and gave a cry.

over there.' I put my hand on her shoulder and pointed into

'Zena! Oh! And is it really you?'

the crowded tent. 'The one near the stage, with the baby on It was indeed Zena: she stood beside me plumper and even her arm.

handsomer than when I had seen her last, and clad in a

'What,' she said, 'not Flo Banner, that works at the gals'

scarlet coat and a bracelet with charms on. 'Zena!' I said home!'

again. 'Oh! How good it is to see you.' I took her hand and

'You don't mean, you know her?'

pressed it, and she laughed.

'I have a couple of pals what've lived at Freemantle House,

'I've met just about every gal I ever knew here, today,' she and they are always talking about how marvellous Flo said. 'And then I saw this other one, standing up against a Banner is! You know, I suppose, that half the gals there are tent flap with a fag at her lip and I thought, Lord, but don't mad in love with her . ..'

she look like old Nan King? What a lark, if it should be her,

'With Florence? Are you sure?"

after all this time - and here, of all places! And I stepped up

'I'll say!' We looked into the tent together again. Florence a bit closer, and then I saw that your hair was all clipped, was on her feet now, and waving a paper at the speaker at and I knew it was you, for sure.'

the stage. Zena laughed. 'Fancy you and Flo Banner!' she

'Oh, Zena! I was certain I should never hear from you said. 'I'm sure, she don't take no nonsense from you.'

again.' She looked a little sheepish at that; and then,

'You're right,' I answered, still gazing at Florence, still remembering, I pressed her hand even harder and said in marvelling at what Zena had told me. 'She don't.'

quite a different tone: 'What a nerve you've got, though!

We moved into the sunshine again. 'And how about you?' I After leaving me in such a state, that time in Kilburn! I asked her then. 'I bet you have a girl, don't you?'

thought I should die.'

'I do,' she said shyly. The fact is, indeed, I have a couple of Now she made a show of tossing her head. 'Well! You done

'em, and can't quite decide between the two ..."

me very brown, you know, over that money.'

'Two! My God!' I imagined having two sweethearts like

'I do know it. What a little beast I was! I suppose, you never Florence: the thought made me ache and start yawning.

did get to the colonies . . .'

'One of them is about here, somewhere,' Zena was saying.

She wrinkled her nose. 'My friend who went to Australia

'She is part of a union and - There she is! Maud!' At her cry, came back. She said the place was full of great rough a girl in a blue-and-brown checked coat looked round, and fellows, and they don't want landladies; what they want is, wandered over. Zena took her arm, and the girl smiled.

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This is Miss Skinner," said Zena to me; then, to her I pulled a face. 'I hate to think of those days, Zena. I'm all sweetheart: 'Maud, this is Nan King, the singer from the changed now.'