\"Hereisaview——thisisthefirstofmyownattempts——oftheapartmentofoneoftheunderservants。Itiscomfortableandspacious,andsolidlyfurnished。\"
\"SoIperceive。\"
\"Thesearethestables。Aretheynothandsome？\"
\"Palatial。Quitepalatial。\"
\"Thereiseveryluxurythatahorsecoulddesire,includingplentyofvaletstowaitonhim。Youarenotingthefigures,I
hope。Thereisthecostofthebuildingandtheexpenditureperhorseperannum。\"
\"Isee。\"
\"Hereistheexteriorofahouse。Whatdoyouthinkofit？\"
\"Itisratherpicturesqueinitsdilapidation。\"
\"Picturesque！Wouldyouliketoliveinit？\"
\"No,\"saidErskine。\"Idon\'tseeanythingverypicturesqueaboutit。Whatinducedyoutophotographsuchawretchedoldrookery？\"
\"Hereisaviewofthebestroominit。Photographygivesyouafairideaofthebrokenflooringandpatchedwindows,butyoumustimaginethedirtandtheodoroftheplace。Someofthestainsareweatherstains,otherscamefromsmokeandfilth。Thelandlordofthehouseholdsitfromapeerandletsitoutintenements。ThreefamiliesoccupiedthatroomwhenIphotographedit。YouwillseebythefiguresinthecornerthatitismoreprofitabletothelandlordthananaveragehouseinMayfair。Hereisthecellar,lettoafamilyforoneandsixpenceaweek,andconsideredabargain。Thesunnevershinesthere,ofcourse。I
tookitbyartificiallight。Youmayaddtotherentthecostofenoughbadbeertomakethetenantinsensibletothefilthoftheplace。Beeristhechloroformthatenablesthelaborertoendurethesevereoperationofliving;thatiswhywecanalwaysassureoneanotheroverourwinethattherascal\'smiseryisduetohishabitofdrinking。Wearedownonhimforit,because,ifhecouldbearhislifewithoutbeer,weshouldsavehisbeer—money——gethimforlowerwages。Inshort,weshouldbericherandhesoberer。Hereistheyard;thearrangementsareindescribable。Sevenoftheinhabitantsofthathousehadworkedforyearsinmyfather\'smill。Thatis,theyhadcreatedaconsiderablepartofthevastsumsofmoneyfordrawingyourattentiontowhichyouweredisgustedwithmejustnow。\"
\"Notatall,\"saidSirCharlesfaintly。
\"Youcanseehowtheirconditioncontrastswiththatofmyfather\'shorses。ThesevenmentowhomIhavealluded,withthreehundredothers,werethrowndestituteuponthestreetsbythis。\"
（Hereheturnedoveraleafanddisplayedaphotographofanelaboratemachine。）\"Itenabledmyfathertodispensewiththeirservices,andtoreplacethembyahandfulofwomenandchildren。
Hehadboughtthepatentofthemachineforfiftypoundsfromtheinventor,whowasalmostruinedbytheexpensesofhisingenuity,andwouldhavesacrificedanythingforahandfulofreadymoney。
Hereisaportraitofmyfatherinhismasonicinsignia。Hebelievedthatfreemasonsgenerallygetonintheworld,andasthemainobjectofhislifewastogeton,hejoinedthem,andwantedmetodothesame。ButIobjecttopretendedsecretsocietiesandhocuspocus,andwouldnot。Youseewhathewas——aportly,pushing,egotisticaltradesman。Markthesuccessfulman,themerchantprincewithargosiesoneverysea,theemployerofthousandsofhands,themunificentcontributortopubliccharities,thechurchwarden,thememberofparliament,andthegenerouspatronofhisrelativeshisself—approbationstrugglingwiththeinstinctivesenseofbasenessinthemoney—hunter,theignorantandgreedyfilcherofthelaborofothers,thesellerofhisownmindandmanhoodforluxuriesanddelicaciesthathewastoolowlivedtoenjoy,andforthesocietyofpeoplewhomadehimfeelhisinferiorityateveryturn。\"
\"Andthemantowhomyouoweeverythingyoupossess,\"saidErskineboldly。
\"Ipossessverylittle。Everythingheleftme,exceptafewpictures,Ispentlongago,andeventhatwasmadebyhisslavesandnotbyhim。MywealthcomesdaybydayfreshfromthelaborofthewretcheswholiveinthedensIhavejustshownyou,orofafewaristocratsoflaborwhoarewithintenshillingsaweekofbeingworseoff。However,thereissomeexcuseformyfather。
Once,atanelectionriot,Igotintoafreefight。Iamapeacefulman,butasIhadeithertofightorbeknockeddownandtrampledupon,IexchangedblowswithmenwhowereperhapsaspeacefullydisposedasI。Myfather,launchedintoafreecompetition（freeinthesensethatthefightisfree:thatis,lawless）——myfatherhadtochoosebetweenbeingaslavehimselfandenslavingothers。Hechosethelatter,andashewasapplaudedandmademuchofforsucceeding,whodareblamehim？
NotI。Besides,hedidsomethingtodestroytheanarchythatenabledhimtoplundersocietywithimpunity。Hefurnishedme,itsenemy,withthepowerfulweaponofalargefortune。Thusoursystemoforganizingindustrysometimeshatchestheeggsfromwhichitsdestroyersbreak。DoesLadyBrandonwearmuchlace？\"
\"I——No;thatis——HowthedeucedOIknow,Trefusis？Whatanextraordinaryquestion！\"
\"Thisisaphotographofalaceschool。Itwasafilthyroom,twelvefeetsquare。Itwaspavedwithbrick,andthechildrenwerenotallowedtoweartheirboots,lestthelaceshouldgetmuddy。However,asthereweretwentyofthemworkingthereforfifteenhoursaday——allgirls——theydidnotsuffermuchfromcold。Theywereprettytightlypacked——maybestill,foraughtI
know。Theybroughtthreeorfourshillingsaweeksometimestotheirfondparents;andtheywereveryquick—fingeredlittlecreatures,andstuckintenselytotheirwork,astheoverseeralwayshitthemwhentheylookedupor——\"
\"Trefusis,\"saidSirCharles,turningawayfromthetable,\"Ibegyourpardon,butIhavenoappetiteforhorrors。Youreallymustnotaskmetogothroughyourcollection。Itisnodoubtveryinteresting,butIcan\'tstandit。Haveyounothingpleasanttoentertainmewith？\"
\"Pooh！youaresqueamish。However,asyouareanovice,letusputofftherestuntilyouareseasoned。Thepicturesarenotallhorrible。Eachbookreferstoadifferentcountry。ThatonecontainsillustrationsofmoderncivilizationinGermany,forinstance。ThatoneisFrance;that,BritishIndia。HereyouhavetheUnitedStatesofAmerica,homeofliberty,theatreofmanhoodsuffrage,kinglessandlordlesslandofProtection,Republicanism,andtherealizedRadicalProgramme,wherealltheblackchattelslaveswereturnedintowage—slaves（likemyfather\'swhitefellows）atacostof800,000livesandwealthincalculable。YouandIarepaupersincomparisonwiththegreatcapitalistsofthatcountry,wherethelaborersfightforboneswiththeChinamen,likedogs。Someofthesegreatmenpresentedmewithphotographsoftheiryachtsandpalaces,notanticipatingtheusetowhichIwouldputthem。Herearesomeportraitsthatwillnotharrowyourfeelings。Thisismymother,awomanofgoodfamily,everyinchalady。HereisaLancashirelass,thedaughterofacommonpitman。Shehasexactlythesamephysicalcharacteristicsasmywell—bornmother——thesamesmallhead,delicatefeatures,andsoforth;theymightbesisters。Thisvillainous—lookingpairmightbetwinbrothers,exceptthatthereisatraceofgoodhumorabouttheonetotheright。Thegood—humoredoneisabargeeontheLyvernCanal。TheotherisoneoftheseniornoblemenoftheBritishPeerage。TheyillustratethefactthatNature,evenwhenpervertedbygenerationsoffaminefever,ignoresthedistinctionswesetupbetweenmen。Thisgroupofmenandwomen,alltolerablyintelligentandthoughtfullooking,areso—calledenemiesofsociety——Nihilists,Anarchists,Communards,membersoftheInternational,andsoon。Theseotherpoordevils,worried,stiff,strumous,awkward,vapid,andrathercoarse,withhereandthereapassablyprettywoman,areEuropeankings,queens,grand—dukes,andthelike。Hereareship—captains,criminals,poets,menofscience,peers,peasants,politicaleconomists,andrepresentativesofdozensofdegrees。Theobjectofthecollectionistoillustratethenaturalinequalityofman,andthefailureofourartificialinequalitytocorrespondwithit。\"
\"Itseemstomeasortofinfernalcollectionfortheupsettingofpeople\'sideas,\"saidErskine。\"Yououghttolabelit\'A
PortfolioofParadoxes。\'\"
\"Inarationalstateofsocietytheywouldbeparadoxes;butnowthetimegivesthemproof——likeHamlet\'sparadox。Itis,however,acollectionoffacts;andIwillgivenofancifulnametoit。
Youdislikefigures,don\'tyou？\"
\"UnlesstheyarebyPhidias,yes。\"
\"Hereareafew,notbyPhidias。ThisisthebalancesheetofanattemptImadesomeyearsagotocarryouttheideaofanInternationalAssociationofLaborers——commonlyknownasTHE
International——orunionofallworkmenthroughouttheworldindefenceoftheinterestsoflabor。Youseetheresult。
Expenditure,fourthousandfivehundredpounds。Subscriptionsreceivedfromworking—men,twenty—twopoundssevenandtenpencehalfpenny。TheBritishworkmenshowedtheirsenseofmyeffortstoemancipatethembyaccusingmeofmakingagoodthingoutoftheAssociationformyownpocket,andbymobbingandstoningmetwice。Inowhelpthemonlywhentheyshowsomedispositiontohelpthemselves。Ioccupymyselfpartlyinworkingoutaschemeforthereorganizationofindustry,andpartlyinattackingmyownclass,womenandall,asIamattackingyou。\"
\"Thereislittleuseinattackingus,Ifear,\"saidSirCharles。
\"Greatuse,\"saidTrefusisconfidently。\"YouhaveaverydifferentopinionofourboastedcivilizationnowfromthatwhichyouheldwhenIbrokeyourwalldownandinvitedthoseLandNationalizationzealotstomarchacrossyourpleasureground。Youhaveseeninmyalbumsomethingyouhadnotseenanhourago,andyouareconsequentlynotquitethesamemanyouwereanhourago。
Mypicturesstickinthemindlongerthanyourscratchyetchings,ortheleadenthingsinwhichyoufancyyouseetenderharmoniesingray。Erskine\'snextdramamaybeaboutliberty,butitsPatriotMartyrswillhavesomethingbettertodothanspoutbalderdashagainstfigure—headkingswhoinalltheirlivesneversecretlyplottedasmuchdastardlymeanness,greed,cruelty,andtyrannyasisopenlyvotedforinLondonbyeveryhalf—yearlymeetingofdividend—consumingverminwhosemiserablewage—slavesdrudgesixteenhoursoutofthetwenty—four。\"
\"Whatisgoingtobetheendofitall？\"saidSirCharles,alittledazed。
\"SocialismorSmash。Socialismiftheracehasatlastevolvedthefacultyofcoordinatingthefunctionsofasocietytoocrowdedandcomplextobeworkedanylongerontheoldhaphazardprivate—propertysystem。Unlesswereorganizeoursocietysocialistically——humanlyamostarduousandmagnificententerprise,economicallyamostsimpleandsoundone——FreeTradebyitselfwillruinEngland,andIwilltellyouexactlyhow。
Whenmyfathermadehisfortunewehadthestartofallothernationsintheorganizationofourindustryandinouraccesstoironandcoal。Othernationsboughtourproductsforlessthantheymusthavespenttoraisethemathome,andyetforsomuchmorethantheycostus,thatprofitsrolledinAtlanticwavesuponourcapitalists。Whentheworkers,bytheirtrades—unions,demandedashareoftheluckintheformofadvancedwages,itpaidbettertogivethemthelittletheydaredtoaskthantostopgold—gatheringtofightandcrushthem。Butnowourcustomershavesetupintheirowncountriesimprovedcopiesofourindustrialorganization,andhavediscoveredplaceswhereironandcoalareevenhandierthantheyarebythistimeinEngland。Theyproduceforthemselves,orbuyelsewhere,whattheyformerlyboughtfromus。Ourprofitsarevanishing,ourmachineryisstandingidle,ourworkmenarelockedout。Itpaysnowtostopthemillsandfightandcrushtheunionswhenthemenstrike,nolongerforanadvance,butagainstareduction。Nowthattheseunionsarebeaten,helpless,anddriftingtobankruptcyastheproportionofunemployedmenintheirranksbecomesgreater,theyarebeingpettedandmademuchofbyourclass;aninfalliblesignthattheyaremakingnofurtherprogressintheirdutyofdestroyingus。Thesmallcapitalistsareleftstrandedbytheebb;thebigoneswillfollowthetideacrossthewater,andrebuildtheirfactorieswheresteampower,waterpower,laborpower,andtransportarenowcheaperthaninEngland,wheretheyusedtobecheapest。Theworkerswillemigrateinpursuitofthefactory,buttheywillmultiplyfasterthantheyemigrate,andbetoldthattheirownexorbitantdemandforwagesisdrivingcapitalabroad,andmustcontinuetodosowhilstthereisaChinamanoraHindoounemployedtounderbidthem。AstheBritishfactoriesareshutup,theywillbereplacedbyvillas;themanufacturingdistrictswillbecomefashionableresortsforcapitalistslivingontheinterestofforeigninvestments;thefarmsandsheeprunswillbeclearedfordeerforests。Allproductsthatcaninthenatureofthingsbemanufacturedelsewherethanwheretheyareconsumedwillbeimportedinpaymentofdeer—forestrentsfromforeignsportsmen,orofdividendsduetoshareholdersresidentinEngland,butholdingsharesincompaniesabroad,andtheseimportswillnotbepaidforbyexports,becauserentandinterestarenotpaidforatall——afactwhichtheFreeTradersdonotyetsee,oratanyratedonotmention,althoughitisthekeytothewholemysteryoftheiropponents。ThecryforProtectionwillbecomewild,butnoonewilldareresorttoademonstrablyabsurdmeasurethatmustraisepricesbeforeitraiseswages,andthathaseverywherefailedtobenefittheworker。Therewillbenoemploymentforanyoneexceptindoingthingsthatmustbedoneonthespot,suchasunpackinganddistributingtheimports,ministeringtotheproprietorsasdomesticservants,orbyacting,preaching,paving,lighting,housebuilding,andtherest;andsomeofthese,asthecapitalistcomestoregardostentationasvulgar,andtoenjoyasimplerlife,willemployfewerandfewerpeople。Avastproletariat,beginningwithanucleusofthoseformerlyemployedinexporttrades,withtheirmultiplyingprogeny,willbeoutofemploymentpermanently。Theywilldemandaccesstothelandandmachinerytoproduceforthemselves。Theywillberefused。Theywillbreakafewwindowsandbedispersedwithawarningtotheirleaders。Theywillburnafewhousesandmurderapolicemanortwo,andthenanexamplewillbemadeofthewarned。Theywillrevolt,andbeshotdownwithmachine—guns——emigrated——exterminatedanyhowandeveryhow;fortheproprietaryclasseshavenoideaofanyothermeansofdealingwiththefullclaimsoflabor。Youyourself,thoughyouwouldgivefiftypoundstoJansenius\'semigrationfundreadilyenough,wouldcallforthepolice,themilitary,andtheRiotAct,ifthepeoplecametoBrandonBeechesandbadeyouturnoutandworkforyourlivingwiththerest。Well,thesuperfluousproletariatdestroyed,therewillremainapopulationofcapitalistslivingongratuitousimportsandservedbyadisaffectedretinue。Onedaythegratuitousimportswillstopinconsequenceoftheoccurrenceabroadofrevolutionandrepudiation,fallintherateofinterest,purchaseofindustriesbygovernmentsforlumpsums,notreinvestable,orwhatnot。Ourcapitalistcommunityisthenthrownontheremainsofthelastdividend,whichitconsumeslongbeforeitcanrehabilitateitsextinctmachineryofproductioninordertosupportitselfwithitsownhands。Horses,dogs,cats,rats,blackberries,mushrooms,andcannibalismonlypostpone——\"
\"Ha！ha！ha！\"shoutedSirCharles。\"Onmyhonor,Ithoughtyouwereseriousatfirst,Trefusis。Come,confess,oldchap;it\'sallafadofyours。Ihalfsuspectedyouofbeingabitofacrank。\"AndhewinkedatErskine。
\"WhatIhavedescribedtoyouistheinevitableoutcomeofourpresentFreeTradepolicywithoutSocialism。ThetheoryofFreeTradeisonlyapplicabletosystemsofexchange,nottosystemsofspoliation。Oursystemisoneofspoliation,andifwedon\'tabandonit,wemusteitherreturntoProtectionorgotosmashbytheroadIhavejustmapped。Now,soonerthanlettheProtectioniststriumph,theCobdenClubitselfwouldblowthegaffandpointouttotheworkersthatProtectiononlymeanscompellingtheproprietorsofEnglandtoemployslavesresidentinEnglandandthereforepresumably——thoughbynomeansnecessarily——Englishmen。ThiswouldopentheeyesofthenationatlasttothefactthatEnglandisnottheirproperty。Onceletthemunderstandthatandtheywouldsoonmakeitso。WhenEnglandismadethepropertyofitsinhabitantscollectively,Englandbecomessocialistic。Artificialinequalitywillvanishthenbeforerealfreedomofcontract;freedomofcompetition,orunhamperedemulation,willkeepusmovingahead;andFreeTradewillfulfilitspromisesatlast。\"
\"Andtheidlersandloafers,\"saidErskine。\"Whatofthem？\"
\"YouandI,infact,\"saidTrefusis,\"dieofstarvation,I
suppose,unlesswechoosetowork,orunlesstheygiveusalittleout—doorreliefinconsiderationofourbadbringing—up。\"
\"Doyoumeanthattheywillplunderus？\"saidSirCharles。
\"Imeanthattheywillmakeusstopplunderingthem。Iftheyhesitatetostripusnaked,ortocutourthroatsifweofferthemthesmallestresistance,theywillshowusmoremercythanweevershowedthem。ConsiderwhatwehavedonetogetourrentsinIrelandandScotland,andourdividendsinEgypt,ifyouhavealreadyforgottenmyphotographsandtheirlessoninouratrocitiesathome。Why,man,wemurderthegreatmassofthesetoilerswithoverworkandhardship;theiraveragelifetimeisnothalfaslongasours。Humannatureisthesameinthemasinus。
Ifweresistthem,andsucceedinrestoringorder,aswecallit,wewillpunishthemmercilesslyfortheirinsubordination,aswedidinParisin1871,where,by—the—bye,wetaughtthemthefollyofgivingtheirenemiesquarter。Iftheybeatus,weshallcatchit,andserveusright。Farbetterturnhonestatonceandavertbloodshed。Eh,Erskine？\"
Erskinewasconsideringwhatreplyheshouldmake,whenTrefusisdisconcertedhimbyringingabell。Presentlytheelderlywomanappeared,pushingbeforeheranoblongtablemountedonwheels,likeabarrow。
\"Thankyou,\"saidTrefusis,anddismissedher。\"Hereissomegoodwine,somegoodwater,somegoodfruit,andsomegoodbread。I
knowthatyouclingtowineastoagoodfamiliarcreature。Asforme,Imakenodistinctionbetweenitandothervegetablepoisons。Iabstainfromthemall。Waterforserenity,wineforexcitement。I,havingboilingspringsofexcitementwithinmyself,amneveratalossforit,andhaveonlytoseekserenity。However,\"（herehedrewacork）,\"agenerousgobletofthiswillmakeyoufeellikegodsforhalfanhouratleast。
ShallwedrinktoyourconversiontoSocialism？\"
SirCharlesshookhishead。
\"Come,Mr。DonovanBrown,thegreatartist,isaSocialist,andwhyshouldnotyoubeone？\"
\"DonovanBrown！\"exclaimedSirCharleswithinterest。\"Isitpossible？Doyouknowhimpersonally？\"
\"Hereareseverallettersfromhim。Youmayreadthem;themereautographofsuchamanisinteresting。\"
SirCharlestookthelettersandreadthemearnestly,Erskinereadingoverhisshoulder。
\"Imostcordiallyagreewitheverythinghesayshere,\"saidSirCharles。\"Itisquitetrue,quitetrue。\"
\"Ofcourseyouagreewithus。DonovanBrown\'seminenceasanartisthasgainedmeonerecruit,andyoursasabaronetwillgainmesomemore。\"
\"But——\"
\"Butwhat？\"saidTrefusis,deftlyopeningoneofthealbumsataphotographofaloathsomeroom。
\"Youareagainstthat,areyounot？DonovanBrownisagainstit,andIamagainstit。Youmaydisagreewithusineverythingelse,butthereyouareatonewithus。Isitnotso？\"
\"Butthatmaybetheresultofdrunkenness,improvidence,or——\"
\"Myfather\'sincomewasfiftytimesasgreatasthatofDonovanBrown。DoyoubelievethatDonovanBrownisfiftytimesasdrunkenandimprovidentasmyfatherwas？\"
\"Certainlynot。Idonotdenythatthereismuchinwhatyouurge。Still,youaskmetotakearatherimportantstep。\"
\"Notabitofit。Idon\'taskyoutosubscribeto,join,orinanywaypledgeyourselftoanysocietyorconspiracywhatsoever。
IonlywantyournameforprivatementiontocowardswhothinkSocialismright,butwillnotsaysobecausetheydonotthinkitrespectable。Theywillnotbeashamedoftheirconvictionswhentheylearnthatabaronetsharesthem。Socialismoffersyousomethingalready,yousee;agooduseforyourhithertouselesstitle。\"
SirCharlescoloredalittle,consciousthattheexampleofhisfavoritepainterhadinfluencedhimmorethanhisownconvictionortheargumentsofTrefusis。
\"Whatdoyouthink,Chester？\"hesaid。\"Willyoujoin？\"
\"Erskineisalreadycommittedtothecauseoflibertybyhispublishedwritings,\"saidTrefusis。\"Threeofthepamphletsonthatshelfcontainquotationsfrom\'ThePatriotMartyrs。\'\"
Erskineblushed,flatteredbybeingquoted;anattentionthathadbeenshownhimonlyoncebefore,andthenbyareviewerwiththeobjectofprovingthatthePatriotMartyrswereslovenlyintheirgrammar。
\"Come！\"saidTrefusis。\"ShallIwritetoDonovanBrownthathislettershavegainedthecordialassentandsympathyofSirCharlesBrandon？\"
\"Certainly,certainly。Thatis,ifmyunknownnamewouldbeoftheleastinteresttohim。\"
\"Good,\"saidTrefusis,fillinghisglasswithwater。\"Erskine,letusdrinktoourbrotherSocialDemocrat。\"
Erskinelaughedloudly,butnotheartily。\"Whatanassyouare,Brandon！\"hesaid。\"You,withalargelandedestate,andbagsofgoldinvestedinrailways,callingyourselfaSocialDemocrat！
Areyougoingtoselloutanddistribute——tosellallthatthouhastandgivetothepoor？\"
\"Notapenny,\"repliedTrefusisforhimpromptly。\"AmancannotbeaChristianinthiscountry。Ihavetrieditandfounditimpossiblebothinlawandinfact。Iamacapitalistandalandholder。Ihaverailwayshares,miningshares,buildingshares,bankshares,andstockofmostkinds;andagreattroubletheyaretome。Butthesesharesdonotrepresentwealthactuallyinexistence;theyareamortgageonthelaborofunborngenerationsoflaborers,whomustworktokeepmeandmineinidlenessandluxury。IfIsoldthem,wouldthemortgagebecancelledandtheunborngenerationsreleasedfromitsthrall？
No。Itwouldonlypassintothehandsofsomeothercapitalist,andtheworkingclasswouldbenobetteroffformyself—sacrifice。SirCharlescannotobeythecommandofChrist;I
defyhimtodoit。Lethimgivehislandforapublicpark;onlythericherclasseswillhaveleisuretoenjoyit。Plantitattheverydoorsofthepoor,sothattheymayatlastbreatheitsair,anditwillraisethevalueoftheneighboringhousesanddrivethepooraway。Lethimendowaschoolforthepoor,likeEtonorChrist\'sHospital,andtherichwilltakeitfortheirownchildrenastheydointhetwoinstancesIhavenamed。SirCharlesdoesnotwanttoministertopoverty,buttoabolishit。
Nomatterhowmuchyougivetothepoor,everythingexceptabaresubsistencewagewillbetakenfromthemagainbyforce。AlltalkofpracticingChristianity,orevenbarejustice,isatpresentmerewasteofwords。Howcanyoujustlyrewardthelaborerwhenyoucannotascertainthevalueofwhathemakes,owingtotheprevalentcustomofstealingit？Iknowthisbyexperience。I
wantedtopayajustpriceformywife\'stomb,butIcouldnotfindoutitsvalue,andnevershall。Theprincipleonwhichwefarmoutournationalindustrytoprivatemarauders,whorecompensethemselvesbyblack—mail,socorruptsandparalyzesusthatwecannotbehonestevenwhenwewantto。Andthereasonwebearitsocalmlyisthatveryfewofusreallywantto。\"
\"Imuststudythisquestionofvalue,\"saidSirCharlesdubiously,refillinghisgoblet。\"Canyourecommendmeagoodbookonthesubject？\"
\"Anygoodtreatiseonpoliticaleconomywilldo,\"saidTrefusis。
\"IneconomicsallroadsleadtoSocialism,althoughinninecasesoutoften,sofar,theeconomistdoesn\'trecognizehisdestination,andincursthemaledictionpronouncedbyJeremiahonthosewhojustifythewickedforreward。Iwilllookyououtabookortwo。AndifyouwillcallonDonovanBrownthenexttimeyouareinLondon,hewillbedelighted,Iknow。Hemeetswithveryfewwhoarecapableofsympathizingwithhimfrombothhispointsofview——socialandartistic。\"
SirCharlesbrightenedonbeingremindedofDonovanBrown。\"I
shallesteemanintroductiontohimagreathonor,\"hesaid。\"I
hadnoideathathewasafriendofyours。\"
\"IwasaverypracticalyoungSocialistwhenIfirstmethim,\"
saidTrefusis。\"WhenBrownwasanunknownandwretchedlypoorman,mymother,atthepetitionofafriendofhis,charitablyboughtoneofhispicturesforthirtypounds,whichhewasverygladtoget。Yearsafterwards,whenmymotherwasdead,andBrownfamous,Iwasofferedeighthundredpoundsforthispicture,whichwas,by—the—bye,averybadoneinmyopinion。Now,aftermakingtheusualunjustallowanceforinterestonthirtypoundsfortwelveyearsorsothathadelapsed,thesaleofthepicturewouldhavebroughtmeinaprofitofoversevenhundredandfiftypounds,anunearnedincrementtowhichIhadnorighteousclaim。
Mysolicitor,towhomImentionedthematter,wasofopinionthatImightjustifiablypocketthesevenhundredandfiftypoundsasrewardformymother\'sbenevolenceinbuyingapresumablyworthlesspicturefromanobscurepainter。ButhefailedtoconvincemethatIoughttobepaidformymother\'svirtues,thoughweagreedthatneitherInormymotherhadreceivedanyreturnintheshapeofpleasureincontemplatingthework,whichhaddeterioratedconsiderablybythefadingofthecolorssinceitspurchase。AtlastIwenttoBrown\'sstudiowiththepicture,andtoldhimthatitwasworthnothingtome,asIthoughtitaparticularlybadone,andthathemighthaveitbackagainforfifteenpounds,halfthefirstprice。HeatoncetoldmethatI
couldgetfromanydealermoreforitthanhecouldaffordtogiveme;buthetoldmetoothatIhadnorighttomakeaprofitoutofhiswork,andthathewouldgivemetheoriginalpriceofthirtypounds。Itookit,andthensenthimthemanwhohadofferedmetheeighthundred。TomydiscomfitureBrownrefusedtosellitonanyterms,becauseheconsidereditunworthyofhisreputation。Themanbiduptofifteenhundred,butBrownheldout;andIfoundthatinsteadofputtingsevenhundredandseventypoundsintohispocketIhadtakenthirtyoutofit。I
accordinglyofferedtoreturnthethirtypieces。Brown,takingtheofferasaninsult,declinedallfurthercommunicationwithme。Itheninsistedonthematterbeingsubmittedtoarbitration,anddemandedfifteenhundredpoundsasthefullexchangevalueofthepicture。Allthearbitratorsagreedthatthiswasmonstrous,whereuponIcontendedthatiftheydeniedmyrighttothevalueinexchange,theymustadmitmyrighttothevalueinuse。TheyassentedtothisafterputtingofftheirdecisionforafortnightinordertoreadAdamSmithanddiscoverwhatonearthImeantbymyvaluesinuseandexchange。Inowshowedthatthepicturehadnovalueinusetome,asIdislikedit,andthatthereforeIwasentitledtonothing,andthatBrownmusttakebackthethirtypounds。Theyweregladtoconcedethisalsotome,astheywereallartistfriendsofBrown,andwishedhimnottolosemoneybythetransaction,thoughtheyofcourseprivatelythoughtthatthepicturewas,asIdescribedit,abadone。AfterthatBrownandI
becameverygoodfriends。Hetoleratedmyadvances,atfirstlestitshouldseemthathewasannoyedbymydisparagementofhiswork。Subsequentlyhefellintomyviewsmuchasyouhavedone。\"
\"Thatisveryinteresting,\"saidSirCharles。\"Whatanoblething——refusingfifteenhundredpounds！Hecouldillaffordit,probably。\"
\"Heroic——accordingtonineteenthcenturynotionsofheroism。
Voluntarilytothrowawayachanceofmakingmoney！thatistheneplusultraofmartyrdom。Brown\'swifewasextremelyangrywithhimfordoingit。\"
\"Itisaninterestingstory——ormightbemadeso,\"saidErskine。
\"Butyoumakemyheadspinwithyourconfoundedexchangevaluesandstuff。Everythingisaquestionoffigureswithyou。\"
\"Thatcomesofmynotbeingapoet,\"saidTrefusis。\"ButweSocialistsneedtostudytheromanticsideofourmovementtointerestwomeninit。Ifyouwanttomakeacausegrow,instructeverywomanyoumeetinit。Sheisorwillonedaybeawife,andwillcontradictherhusbandwithscrapsofyourarguments。A
squabblewillfollow。Thesonwilllisten,andwillbesetthinkingifhebecapableofthought。Andsothemindofthepeoplegetsleavened。Ihaveconvertedmanyyoungwomen。MostofthemknownomoreoftheeconomictheoryofSocialismthantheyknowofChaldee;buttheynolongerfearorcondemnitsname。Oh,Iassureyouthatmuchcanbedoneinthatwaybymenwhoarenotafraidofwomen,andwhoarenotintoogreatahurrytoseetheharvesttheyhavesownfor。\"
\"Takecare。Someofyourladyproselytesmaygetthebetterofyousomeday。ThefuturehusbandtobecontradictedmaybeSidneyTrefusis。Ha！ha！ha！\"SirCharleshademptiedasecondlargegobletofwine,andwasalittleflushedandboisterous。
\"No,\"saidTrefusis,\"Ihavehadenoughoflovemyself,andamnotlikelytoinspireit。Womendonotcareformentowhom,asErskinesays,everythingisaquestionoffigures。Iusedtoflirtwithwomen;nowIlecturethem,andabhoraman—flirtworsethanIdoawomanone。Somemorewine？Oh,youmustnotwastetheremainderofthisbottle。\"
\"Ithinkwehadbettergo,Brandon,\"saidErskine,hismistrustofTrefusisgrowing。\"Wepromisedtobebackbeforetwo。\"
\"Soyoushall,\"saidTrefusis。\"Itisnotyetaquarterpastone。
By—the—bye,IhavenotshownyouDonovanBrown\'spetinstrumentfortheregenerationofsociety。Hereitis。Amonsterpetitionprayingthattheholdingbackfromthelaborerofanyportionofthenetvalueproducedbyhislaborbedeclaredafelony。Thatisall。\"
ErskinenudgedSirCharles,whosaidhastily,\"Thankyou,butI
hadrathernotsignanything。\"
