第24章

No matter how prosperous a man might be, he could not be certain that his children would never want for bread.There were thousands living in misery on starvation wages whose parents had been wealthy people.

As Owen strode rapidly along, his mind filled with these thoughts, he was almost unconscious of the fact that he was wet through to the skin.He was without an overcoat, it was pawned in London, and he had not yet been able to redeem it.His boots were leaky and sodden with mud and rain.

He was nearly home now.At the corner of the street in which he lived there was a newsagent's shop and on a board outside the door was displayed a placard:

TERRIBLE DOMESTIC TRAGEDY

DOUBLE MURDER AND SUICIDE

He went in to buy a copy of the paper.He was a frequent customer here, and as he entered the shopkeeper greeted him by name.

`Dreadful weather,' he remarked as he handed Owen the paper.`It makes things pretty bad in your line, I suppose?'

`Yes,' responded Owen, `there's a lot of men idle, but fortunately Ihappen to be working inside.'

`You're one of the lucky ones, then,' said the other.`You know, there'll be a job here for some of 'em as soon as the weather gets a little better.All the outside of this block is going to be done up.

That's a pretty big job, isn't it?'

`Yes,' returned Owen.`Who's going to do it?'

`Makehaste and Sloggit.You know, they've got a place over at Windley.'

`Yes, I know the firm,' said Owen, grimly.He had worked for them once or twice himself.

`The foreman was in here today,' the shopkeeper went on.`He said they're going to make a start Monday morning if it's fine.'

`Well, I hope it will be,' said Owen, `because things are very quiet just now.'

Wishing the other `Good nigh', Owen again proceeded homewards.

Half-way down the street he paused irresolutely: he was thinking of the news he had just heard and of Jack Linden.

As soon as it became generally known that this work was about to be started there was sure to be a rush for it, and it would be a case of first come, first served.If he saw Jack tonight the old man might be in time to secure a job.

Owen hesitated: he was wet through: it was a long way to Linden's place, nearly twenty minutes' walk.Still, he would like to let him know, because unless he was one of the first to apply, Linden would not stand such a good chance as a younger man.Owen said to himself that if he walked very fast there was not much risk of catching cold.

Standing about in wet clothes might be dangerous, but so long as one kept moving it was all right.

He turned back and set off in the direction of Linden's house:

although he was but a few yards from his own home, he decided not to go in because his wife would be sure to try to persuade him not to go out again.

As he hurried along he presently noticed a small dark object on the doorstep of an untenanted house.He stopped to examine it more closely and perceived that it was a small black kitten.The tiny creature came towards him and began walking about his feet, looking into his face and crying piteously.He stooped down and stroked it, shuddering as his hands came in contact with its emaciated body.Its fur was saturated with rain and every joint of its backbone was distinctly perceptible to the touch.As he caressed it, the starving creature mewed pathetically.

Owen decided to take it home to the boy, and as he picked it up and put it inside his coat the little outcast began to purr.

This incident served to turn his thoughts into another channel.If, as so many people pretended to believe, there was an infinitely loving God, how was it that this helpless creature that He had made was condemned to suffer? It had never done any harm, and was in no sense responsible for the fact that it existed.Was God unaware of the miseries of His creatures? If so, then He was not all-knowing.Was God aware of their sufferings, but unable to help them? Then He was not all-powerful.Had He the power but not the will to make His creatures happy? Then He was not good.No; it was impossible to believe in the existence of an individual, infinite God..In fact, no one did so believe; and least of all those who pretended for various reasons to be the disciples and followers of Christ.The anti-Christs who went about singing hymns, making long prayers and crying Lord, Lord, but never doing the things which He said, who were known by their words to be unbelievers and infidels, unfaithful to the Master they pretended to serve, their lives being passed in deliberate and systematic disregard of His teachings and Commandments.It was not necessary to call in the evidence of science, or to refer to the supposed inconsistencies, impossibilities, contradictions and absurdities contained in the Bible, in order to prove there was no truth in the Christian religion.All that was necessary was to look at the conduct of the individuals who were its votaries.