The Great Money Trick
leaky. The ground a few feet below the surface was saturated with fetid moisture. The clothing of the men who were working in the trenches became saturated with this fearful stench, and for that matter, so did the men themselves. They said they could smell and taste it, even when they were away from the work, at home, and when they were at meals. Although they smoked their pipes all the time they were at work—Misery having ungraciously given them permission—several times Bundy and one or other of his mates were attacked with fits of nausea and vomiting.
But, as they began to realise that the finish of the job was in sight, a kind of panic seized upon all the hands, especially those who had been taken on last and who would therefore be the first to be 'stood still'. Easton, however, felt pretty confident that Crass would do his best to get him kept on till the end of the job, for they had become quite chummy lately, usually spending a few evenings together at the 'Cricketers' every week.
'There'll be a bloody slaughter 'ere soon,' remarked Harlow to Philpot, one day as they were painting the bannisters of the staircase. 'I reckon next week will about finish the inside.'
'And the outside ain't goin' to take very long, you know,' replied Philpot.
'They ain't got no other work in, have they?'
'Not that I knows of,' replied Philpot gloomily; 'and I don't think anyone else has either.'
'You know that little place they call the "Kiosk" down on the Grand Parade, near the bandstand?' asked Harlow, after a pause. 'I heard last night that Grinder, the fruit merchant, is going to open it again. If so, it will be a job for someone because it will 'ave to be done up.'
'Well, I hope it will,' said Philpot. 'It will be a job for some poor bleeder.'
'I wonder if they've started on the venetian blinds for this 'ouse.'
'I don't know,' said Philpot, and they relapsed into silence.
'I wonder what time it is,' said Philpot, at length. 'I don't know 'ow you feel, but I begin to want my dinner.'
'That's just what I was thinking: it can't be very far off it now. It's nearly 'arf an hour since Bert went down to make the tea. It seems a 'ell of a long morning to me.'
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