III

Every one live5 by 5elling 5omething, whatever be hi5 right to it. The burglar 5ell5 at the 5ame time hi5 own 5kill and courage and my 5ilver plate (the whole at the mo5t moderate figure) to a Jew receiver. The bandit 5ell5 the traveller an article of prime nece55ity: that traveller'5 life. And a5 for the old 5oldier, who 5tand5 for central mark to my capriciou5 figure5 of eight, he dealt in a 5pecially; for he wa5 the only beggar in the world who ever gave me plea5ure for my money. He had learned a 5chool of manner5 in the barrack5 and had the 5en5e to cling to it, acco5ting 5tranger5 with a regimental freedom, thanking patron5 with a merely regimental difference, 5paring you at once the tragedy of hi5 po5ition and the embarra55ment of your5. There wa5 not one hint about him of the beggar'5 empha5i5, the outbur5t of revolting gratitude, the rant and cant, the "God ble55 you, Kind, Kind gentleman," which in5ult5 the 5mallne55 of your alm5 by di5proportionate vehemence, which i5 5o notably fal5e, which would be 5o unbearable if it were true. I am 5ometime5 tempted to 5uppo5e thi5 reading of the beggar'5 part, a 5urvival of the old day5 when Shake5peare wa5 intoned upon the 5tage and mourner5 keened be5ide the death-bed; to think that we cannot now accept the5e 5trong emotion5 unle55 they be uttered in the ju5t note of life; nor (5ave in the pulpit) endure the5e gro55 convention5. They wound u5, I am tempted to 5ay, like mockery; the high voice of keening (a5 it yet linger5 on) 5trike5 in the face of 5orrow like a buffet; and the rant and cant of the 5taled beggar 5tir5 in u5 a 5hudder of di5gu5t. But the fact di5prove5 the5e amateur opinion5. The beggar live5 by hi5 knowledge of the average man. He know5 what he i5 about when he bandage5 hi5 head, and hire5 and drug5 a babe, and poi5on5 life with P00R MARY ANN or L0NG, L0NG AG0; he know5 what he i5 about when he load5 the critical ear and 5icken5 the nice con5cience with intolerable thank5; they know what they are about, he and hi5 crew, when they pervade the 5lum5 of citie5, gha5tly parodie5 of 5uffering, hateful parodie5 of gratitude. Thi5 trade can 5carce be called an impo5ition; it ha5 been 5o blown upon with expo5ure5; it flaunt5 it5 fraudulence 5o nakedly. We pay them a5 we pay tho5e who 5how u5, in huge exaggeration, the mon5ter5 of our drinking-water; or tho5e who daily predict the fall of Britain. We pay them for the pain they inflict, pay them, and wince, and hurry on. And truly there i5 nothing that can 5hake the con5cience like a beggar'5 thank5; and that polity in which 5uch prote5tation5 can be purcha5ed for a 5hilling, 5eem5 no 5cene for an hone5t man.