Tipping the Velvet (61 page)

purposefully over to the sweating, sagging Ralph.

'"Why Socialism?" I shall keep my answer rather brief.'

'Oh, Nance,' he said, as close to tears as I had ever seen Thank God for something, then!' called a man at that - as I him. I took his arm and gripped it tight, and held him in his knew somebody would - and Ralph gazed wildly around the place before the crowd. They had grown momentarily silent tent for a second, quite distracted. I saw with dismay that he

-through sheer delight, I think, at seeing me leap, so had lost his place, and was forced to glance at the sheets in dramatically, to Ralph's side. Now I took advantage of their his hand. There was a horrible silence while he found the hush to send my voice across their heads in a kind of roar.

spot; when he next spoke, of course, it was into the paper,

'So you don't care for mathematics?' I cried, picking up the just as he had used to do in our Quilter Street parlour.

speech where Ralph had let it falter. 'Perhaps it's hard to

'How many times,' he was saying, 'have you heard think in millions; well, then, let us think in thousands. Let economists say that England is the richest nation in the us think of three hundred thousand. What do you think I am world . . . ?' I found myself reciting it with him, urging him referring to? The Lord Mayor's salary?' There were titters at on; but he stumbled, and muttered, and once or twice was that: there had been a bit of a scandal, a couple of years forced to tilt his paper to the light, to read it. By now the before, about the Lord Mayor's wages. Now I gratefully crowd had begun to groan and sigh and shuffle. I saw the singled out the titterers and addressed myself to them. 'No chairman, seated at the back of the platform, making up his missis,' I said, 'I'm not talking of pounds, nor even of 521

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shillings. I am talking of persons. I am talking of the strong as my own. 'Because for every one person that dies amount of men, women, and children who are living in the in the smart parts of the city, four will die in the East End.

workhouses of London - of London! the richest city, in the They will die, many of 'em, of diseases which their smart richest country, in the richest empire, in all the world! - at neighbours know perfectly well how to treat or prevent. Or this very moment, as I speak now . . .'

they will be killed by machines, in their workshops. Or I went on like this; and the titters grew less. I spoke of all perhaps they will simply die of hunger. Indeed, one or two the paupers in the nation; and of all the people who would people will die in London this very night, of pure starvation die in Bethnal Green, that year, in a workhouse bed. 'Shall

. . .

it be you that dies in the poorhouse, sir?' I cried -I found

'And all this, after two hundred years in which - as all the myself adding a few little rhetorical flourishes to the economists will tell you - Great Britain's wealth has speech, as I went along. 'Shall it be you, miss? Or your old increased twenty times over! All this in the richest city on mother? Or this little boy?' The little boy began to cry.

earth!'

Then: 'How old are we likely to be, when we die?' I asked. I There were some shouts at that, but I waited for them to die turned to Ralph - he was gazing at me in undisguised before taking up the speech where he had left it; and when I wonder - and called, loudly enough for the crowd to hear, did speak at last, I did it quietly, so that people had to lean,

'What is the average age of death, Mr Banner, amongst the and frown, to hear me. 'Why is this so?' I said. 'Is it because men and women of Bethnal Green?'

working people are spendthrifts? Because we would rather He stared at me dumbfounded for a second, then, when I use our money to buy gin and porter, and trips to the music pinched the flesh of his arm, sang out: 'Twenty-nine!' I did hall, and tobacco, and on betting, than on meat for our not think it was loud enough. 'How old?' I cried - for all the children and bread for ourselves? You will see all these world as if I were a pantomime dame, and Ralph my cross-things written, and hear them said, by rich men. Does that chat partner - and he called the figure out again, louder than make them true? Truth is a queer thing, when it comes to before: 'Twenty-nine!'

rich men talking about the poor. Only think: if we broke

'Nine-and-twenty' I said to the audience. 'What if I were a into a rich man's house, he would call us thieves, and send lady, Mr Banner? What if I lived in Hampstead or - or St us to prison. If we set a foot on his estate, we would be John's Wood; lived very comfortably, on my shares in trespassers - he would set his dogs upon us! If we took Bryant and May? What is the average age of death amongst some of his gold, we would be pickpockets; if we made him such ladies?'

pay us money to get the gold back, we would be swindlers

'It is fifty-five,' he said at once. 'Fifty-five! Almost twice as and con-men!

long.' He had remembered the speech and now, at my silent

'But what is the rich man's wealth but robbery, called by urging, kept on with it, in a voice that was soon almost as another title? The rich man steals from his competitors; he 523

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steals the land, and puts a wall about it; he steals our health, own, to help you!' 'Go home tonight,' I went on, moving our liberty; he steals the fruits of our labour, and obliges us forward again, 'and ask yourselves the question that Mr to buy them back from him! Does he call these things Banner has asked you today: Why Socialism? And you will robbery, and slave-holding, and swindling? No: they are find yourselves obliged to answer it as we have. "Because termed enterprise; and business skill; and capitalism. They Britain's people," you will say, "have laboured under the are termed nature.

capitalist and the landlord system and grown only poorer

'But is it natural, that babies should die for want of milk? Is and sicker and more miserable and afraid. Because it is not it natural, that women should sew skirts and coats long into by charity and paltry reforms that we shall improve the night, in cramped and suffocating workshops? That men conditions for the weakest classes - not by taxes, not by and boys should be killed or crippled to provide the coal electing one capitalist government over another, not even upon your fires? That bakers should be choked, baking your by abolishing the House of Lords! - but by turning over the bread?' My voice had risen as I spoke; and now I bellowed.

land, and industry, to the people who work it. Because

'Do you think that's natural? Do you think that's just?' 'No!'

socialism is the only system for a fair society: a society in came a hundred voices at once. 'No! No!' 'Neither do which the good things of the world are shared, not amongst socialists!' cried Ralph: he had crushed his speech between the idlers of the world, but amongst the workers" - amongst his fingers, and now shook it at the crowd. 'We are sick of yourselves: you, who have made the rich man rich, and seeing wealth and property going straight into the pockets been kept, for your labours, only ill and half-starved!'

of the idle and the rich! We don't want a portion of that There was a second's silence, then a burst of thunderous wealth - the bit that the rich man cares, from time to time, applause. I looked at Ralph - his cheeks were red, now, and to chuck at us. We want to see society quite transformed!

his lashes wet with tears - then seized his hand, and raised We want to see money put to use, not kept for profit! We it. And then, as the cheers at last died down, I looked at want to see working women's babies thriving - and Florence, who had moved to join Annie and Cyril, and was workhouses pulled to the ground, 'cause no one needs 'em!'

watching me with her fingers at her lips.

There were cheers at that, and he raised his hands. 'You are Behind us, the chairman approached to shake our hands; cheering now,' he said; 'it is rather easy to cheer, perhaps, and when this was done we made our way off the platform, when the weather is so gay. But you must do more than and were surrounded at once by smiles and congratulations cheer. You must act. Those of you that work - men and and more applause.

women alike - join unions! Those of you that have votes -

'What a triumph!' Annie called, stepping forward to greet us use 'em! Use 'em to put your own people into parliament.

first. 'Ralph, you were magnificent!'

And campaign for your womenfolk - for your sisters and Ralph blushed. 'It was all Nancy's doing,' he said daughters and wives - that they might have votes of their selfconsciously. Annie smirked, and turned to me. 'Bravo!'

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she said. 'What a performance! If I had had a flower, I Costello, Miss Raymond's widowed sister. She very much would have thrown it!' She could not say any more, enjoyed your address.'

however, for behind her had come an elderly lady, who

'I did,' said Mrs Costello. She held out her hand, and Ralph now pushed forward to catch my eye. It was Mrs Macey, of took it, then gazed blinking into her face. 'I have always the Women's Cooperative Guild.

found the world to be so terribly unjust,' she went on, 'but

'My dear,' she said, 'I must congratulate you! What a really felt only powerless, before today, to change it. . .'

splendid address! They tell me you were an actress, once ...

They still held hands, but had not noticed. I left them to it,

?' 'Do they?' I said. 'Yes, I was.'

and rejoined Annie and Miss Raymond, and Florence.

'Well, we cannot afford to have such talents in our ranks, Annie put her hand upon my shoulder.

you know, and let them lie unused. Do say that you will

'A lecture tour, eh?' she said. 'My word!' Then she turned to speak for us another time. One really charismatic speaker Flo: 'And how should you like that?'

can work wonders with an indecisive crowd.'

Florence had not smiled at me since I had stepped from the

'I'll gladly speak for you,' I said. 'But you, you know, must stage; and she did not smile now. When she spoke at last, write the speech .. .'

her expression was sad and grave and almost bewildered -

'Of course! Of course!' She clasped her hands together and as if astonished at her own bitterness.

raised her eyes. 'Oh! I foresee rallies and debates, even -

'I should like it very much,' she said, 'if I thought that who knows? - a lecture tour!' At that, I gazed at her for a Nancy really meant her speeches, and wasn't just repeating second in real alarm; then I felt my attention sought by a them like a - like a dam' parrot!'

figure at my side, and turned to find Emma Raymond's Annie looked uneasily at Miss Raymond, then said, 'Oh sister, Mrs Costello, looking flushed and excited.

Florrie, for shame ..." I did not say anything, but gazed hard

'What a wonderful address!' she said shyly. 'I felt moved at Florence for a second, then looked away - my pleasure at almost to tears by it.' Her lovely face was indeed pale and the speech, at the shouts of the crowd, all dimmed, and my grave, her eyes large and blue and lustrous. I thought again heart all heavy.

what I had thought before - what a shame it was that she The tent, now, was quiet: there was no speaker on the was not a torn . . . But then I remembered what Annie had platform, and people had taken advantage of the break to said about her: how she had lost her gentle husband, and drift outside into the sunlight and the bustle of the field.

sought another.

Miss Raymond said brightly, 'Let us all sit down, shall we?'

'How kind you are,' I said earnestly. 'But, you know, it's As we moved to occupy a row of empty seats, however, a really Mr Banner who deserves your praises, for he little girl came trotting up, and caught my eye.

composed the entire speech himself.' As I said it I reached for Ralph, and pulled him over. 'Ralph,' I said, 'this is Mrs 527

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'Excuse me, miss,' she said. 'Are you the gal what give the or, rather, the first of them: my original love; my one true lecture?' I nodded. There is a lady just outside the tent, then, love -my real love, my best love - the love who had so says will you please step up and have a word?'

broken my heart, it seemed never to have fired quite Annie laughed, and raised her eyebrows. 'Another lecture properly again . . .

tour offer, perhaps?' she said.

I went to her, without another glance at Florence, and stood I looked at the girl, and hesitated.

before her and rubbed my eyes against the sun - so that,

'A lady, you say?'

when I looked at her again, she seemed surrounded by a

'Yes miss,' she said firmly. 'A lady. Dressed real smart, with thousand dancing points of light.

her eyes all hid behind a hat with a veil on it.'

'Nan,' she said, and she smiled, rather nervously. 'You have I gave a start, and looked quickly at Florence. A lady in a not forgotten me, I hope?' Her voice shook a little, as it had veil: there was only one person that could be. Diana must used to do, sometimes, in passion. Her accent was rather have seen me after all, and watched me give my speech, purer, with slightly less colour to it, than I remembered.

and now sought me out for - who knew what queer

'Forgotten you?' I said then, finding my own voice at last.

purpose? The idea made me tremble. When the girl stepped

'No. I'm only so very surprised, to see you.' I gazed at her, away I turned to gaze after her, and Florence shifted in her and swallowed. Her eyes were as brown as ever, her lashes seat, and stared with me. In the corner of the tent there was as dark, her lip as pink . . . But she had changed, I had seen a square of sunlight, where the canvas had been tied back to it at once. There were one or two creases beside her mouth form a doorway - it was so bright I had to narrow my eyes and at her brow, that told of the years that had passed since to look at it, and blink. At one edge of the square of light we were sweethearts; and she had let her hair grow, so that stood a woman, her face concealed, as the girl had said, by it curved above her ears in a great, glossy pompadour. With a broad hat and a width of net. As I studied her, she lifted the creases and the hair she did not look, any more, like the her arms to her veil, and raised it. And then I saw her face.