"And who's going to keep un?" said another man. "I can't keep mysen." "All on you, o' course," said Sim. "You keep a good heart, lad, and all will be as raight as raight." "But that would be coming it strange and strong, man," said the first speaker. "Strong diseases want strong doses, lad," said Sim, winking. "But don't you wherrit yoursen. There's them in the Brotherhood as is looking after your interests, and we shall all come off wi' flying colours." "I dessay we shall," said the man, in a discontented tone; "but I want to hear them theer furnaces a-roaring agen, and the firemen's shovels rattling in the coals, and the brass a-chinking in the box o' pay nights. Dal the strike, I say." "But it aint a strike now," said Sim, didactically. "Don't you see, it's a lock-out." "It's all the same," said another, sulkily. "Theer aint no brass to tak', and the missus and the bairns is pined to dead wi' hunger, and starved to dead for want of a bit o' fire." "But you get the society money," said Sim, indignantly. "Yah! what's that to a man in full fettle! Just pays for bread, and you can't buy a decent weigh o' meat for fear o' waring it all at once." "Yes," said another; "it's like club money when a man's sick and can't wuck." "Raight enew, then," said another; "bud a man wants wuck as well as something to yeat. It's strange, coarse weather for us as far as yeating and drinking goes. Why, my bairns heven't hed a bit of bootther sin' the strike begun." "A man need be as tiff as a band to stand it all," said another. "Ay, tough as a bont whong," said another. "Well, I shall be a very poor creature," said another, "if this here's going to last. I'm 'bout pined to dead now." "I shall flit and get wuck somewheer else." "Iver get berry pie for dinner now, Sim Slee?" said another, alluding to a favourite luxury of Sim's, who was accredited with having stolen a neighbour's gooseberries to make the famous berry pie. Here there was a bit of a laugh, a good sign, for the men seemed ripe for mischief. "His missus gives him tongue for breakfast ivery morning," said another. "Sim, come home wi' uz and hev a bit o' custard," said another, and there was a general laugh from the gaunt-looking men. "Nice bit o' stuffed chine at my place, Sim," said another; and one after the other, men, whose fare had been bread and potatoes for many days, gave their great orator invitations to partake of the popular delicacies of the place. "Tellee what," said big Harry, coming up, "I mean to have somebody's thack off if this game arn't soon over." "I hadn't going to say much," said Sim, who had been standing with folded arms, looking contemptuously at the crowd around; "but, I say this--if I was to go on as you do I'd hate mysen. Wheer's your paytriotism? Wheer's your risings against tyranny? Wheer's your British wucking man rising like a lion in his might?"