Part 9 (1/2)
CORPORATION OF MUGSBOROUGH General District and Special Rates FINAL NOTICE
MR W. EASTON,
I have to remind you that the amount due from you as under, in respect of the above Rates, has not been paid, and to request that you will forward the same within Fourteen Days from this date. You are hereby informed that after this notice no further call will be made, or intimation given, before legal proceedings are taken to enforce payment.
By order of the Council.
JAMES LEAH.
Collector, No. 2 District.
District Rate .......................... - 13 11 Special Rate ........................... 10 2 ________ 1 4 1
The second communication was dated from the office of the a.s.sistant Overseer of the Poor. It was also a Final Notice and was worded in almost exactly the same way as the other, the princ.i.p.al difference being that it was 'By order of the Overseers' instead of 'the Council'.
It demanded the sum of 1 1s 5-1/2d for Poor Rate within fourteen days, and threatened legal proceedings in default.
Easton laid this down and began to read the third letter--
J. DIDLUM & CO LTD.
Complete House Furnishers QUALITY STREET, MUGSBOROUGH
MR W. EASTON,
SIR: We have to remind you that three monthly payments of four s.h.i.+llings each (12/- in all) became due on the first of this month, and we must request you to let us have this amount BY RETURN OF POST.
Under the terms of your agreement you guaranteed that the money should be paid on the Sat.u.r.day of every fourth week. To prevent unpleasantness, we must request you for the future to forward the full amount punctually upon that day.
Yours truly, J. DIDLUM & CO. LTD
He read these communications several times in silence and finally with an oath threw them down on the table.
'How much do we still owe for the oilcloth and the furniture?' he asked.
'I don't know exactly. It was seven pound odd, and we've had the things about six months. We paid one pound down and three or four instalments. I'll get the card if you like.'
'No; never mind. Say we've paid one pound twelve; so we still owe about six pound.'
He added this amount to the list.
'I think it's a great pity we ever had the things at all,' he said, peevishly. 'It would have been better to have gone without until we could pay cash for them: but you would have your way, of course. Now we'll have this b.l.o.o.d.y debt dragging on us for years, and before the dam stuff is paid for it'll be worn out.'
The woman did not reply at once. She was bending down over the cradle arranging the coverings which the restless movements of the child had disordered. She was crying silently, unnoticed by her husband.
For months past--in fact ever since the child was born--she had been existing without sufficient food. If Easton was unemployed they had to stint themselves so as to avoid getting further into debt than was absolutely necessary. When he was working they had to go short in order to pay what they owed; but of what there was Easton himself, without knowing it, always had the greater share. If he was at work she would pack into his dinner basket overnight the best there was in the house. When he was out of work she often pretended, as she gave him his meals, that she had had hers while he was out. And all the time the baby was draining her life away and her work was never done.
She felt very weak and weary as she crouched there, crying furtively and trying not to let him see.
At last she said, without looking round:
'You know quite well that you were just as much in favour of getting them as I was. If we hadn't got the oilcloth there would have been illness in the house because of the way the wind used to come up between the floorboards. Even now of a windy day the oilcloth moves up and down.'
'Well, I'm sure I don't know,' said Easton, as he looked alternatively at the list of debts and the three letters. 'I give you nearly every farthing I earn and I never interfere about anything, because I think it's your part to attend to the house, but it seems to me you don't manage things properly.'