"Oowh! Don't—don't!"
The lady, savagely2 wielding3 a decayed carpet-beater, bent4 over the shrinking form of the child—a little storm of short skirts and black hair. Her arm ached and her face steamed, but she continued to shower blows wherever she could get them in, until suddenly the storm limply subsided5 into a small figure which doubled up and fell.
A step sounded in the doorway6, and the lady looked up, frayed7 at the edges and panting. A small, slight man, in semi-official dress, stood just inside the room, which gave directly on to a byway of Homerton.
"Na then, Feet—mind yer dirty boots on my carpet, cancher? What's the——"
"N.S.P.C.C.," replied Feet. He stooped over the child, lifted her, and set her on a slippery sofa. "Had my eye on you for some time. Thought there were something dicky with this child."
[Pg 114]
"'Ere, look 'ere—I mean, can't 'er muvver 'it 'er——"
"Steady, please. Let me warn you——"
The lady threatened with glances, but Kids' Man met them.
She fumed8. "Ow! You waltz in, do yeh? Well, strikes me yeh'll waltz out quicker'n yeh came in. 'Ere—Arfer!" Her raucous9 voice scraped up the narrow stairway leading from the room, and in answer came a misty11 voice, suggesting revelries by night. The lady roared again: "Ar-ferr! Get up an' come daown. 'Ere's a little swab insultin' yer wife! Kids' Man insultin' yer wife!"
Kids' Man made no move, but stood over the sofa with sober face, ministering to the heavily breathing bundle. Overhead came bumps and a prayer for delivery from women.
Then on the lower step of the stairway appeared a symbol of Aurora12 in velveteen breeches and a shirt of indeterminate colour. His braces13 hung dolefully at the rear as he bleared on the situation. His furry14 head moved from side to side. "Wodyeh want me t'do?"
"Cosh 'im! Insultin' yer wife!"
[Pg 115]
He stared. Then his lip moved and he grinned. He hitched15 up his trousers, belted them with braces, and expectorated on both hands with gusto. "Git aout, else I'll split yer faice!"
No answer. "Righto!" He descended16 from the stair, and, hands down, fists closed, chin protruded17, advanced on the bending Inspector18 with that slow, insidious19 movement proper to street-fighters. "Won't git aout, woncher? Grrr—yeh!"
Kids' Man looked up and met him with a steady stare. But the stare annoyed him, so he lifted up his fist and smote20 Kids' Man between the eyes. Then things happened. He towered over the Inspector. "Want another?" The Inspector lifted a short and apparently21 muscleless arm.
Bk! Aurora reeled as the fist met his jaw22, and was followed by a swift one under the ear. For a moment astonishment23 seemed to hold him as he bleared at the slight figure; then he seemed about to burst with wrath24; then he became a cold sportsman. The wife screamed for aid.
"Aoutside—come on!" He shoved Kids' Man before him into the walk, which, torpid25 a moment ago, now flashed with life and movement.[Pg 116] Quickly the auditorium26 was filled with a moist, unlovely crowd of sloppy27 rags and towzled heads. While Kids' Man ministered to his nose, Arfer hitched his trousers, fingered his shirt-sleeves, and talked in staccato to his seconds, about a dozen in number. The crowd grunted28 and grinned. It seemed evident that Kids' Man was about to get it in the neck. One or two went to his side as he quietly turned back his sleeves, not for purposes of encouragement, but merely in order to preserve the correct niceties of the scrap10.
A light tap on the body from either party, and then more things happened. "Go it, Arfer, flatten29 'im! Cosh 'im! Rip 'im back, Arfer. Give 'im naughty-naughty, Arfer!"
But, as the crowd scraped and shuffled30 this way and that, they gave a panicky clearing to a spry retreat by Kids' Man. He was done for; Arfer was chasing him. They capered31 and chi-iked. Then, with a smart turn, he landed beautifully on the point, and sent the pursuing Arfer flat to the ground. The crowd murmured and oathfully exhorted33 Arfer to fink what he was doin' of. Flatten the Kids' Man—that was his job. They met again, and this time the Society received one on the mouth and another on the[Pg 117] nose. He sat heavily down, and his seconds flashed wet handkerchiefs. The crowd cheered. "'Ad enough?"
But with a sudden spurt34 he came up again. His right landed on Arfer's nose, a natty35 upper-cut followed it. He got in another with his right, and pressed his man. The lady screamed, and disregarding the ethics36 of the ring, splurged in and seized the Society's coat-tails. But the crowd begged her to desist. Then the child, who, with the toughness of her class, had found her legs again, flitted fearfully about the fringe of the crowd.
"Wade37 in, mister! 'It the old woman—fetch 'er a swipe across the snitch!"
Now Kids' Man began to take an interest in the affair. Dodging38 a swinging blow of his lumbering39 opponent, he got in a half-arm jab. They closed, and embraced each other, and swayed, and the crowd chanted "Dear Old Pals40." For a moment they strained; then Kids' Man lifted his enemy bodily held him, and with a peculiar41 twist dropped him. He lay still....
A murmur32 of wonder swelled42 quickly to a broad roar. The crowd surged in, squirming and hustling43. For a moment it seemed that Kids' Man[Pg 118] would get torn. It was just a hair's-breadth question between lynching and triumphal chairing. The sporting spirit prevailed, and: "Raaay! Good on yeh, mate! Well done th' S'ciety!" The lads swung in and gathered admiringly around the victor, who tenderly caressed44 a damaged beetroot of a face, while half a dozen helpers impeded45 each other's efforts to render first aid to the prostrate46 Arfer.
"Where's the blankey twicer? Lemme git 'old of 'im. Lemme git 'old of 'im!" implored47 the lady. But she was no longer popular, and they hustled48 her aside, so that in impotent rage she smote her prostrate husband with her foot for failing to uphold her honour before a measly little Kids' Man what she could have torn in two wiv one hand.
"Well, 'e's gotter nerve, ain't 'e?"
"Firs' chap ever I knew stand up t'old Arfer. Fac'!"
"Yerce—'e's—e's gotter nerve!"
"Tell yeh what I say, boys—three cheers for th' Kids' Man!"
And as the bruised49 and discoloured Kids' Man gripped the hand of Orphan50 Dora and led her, brave with new importance, from the Walk to[Pg 119] headquarters, a round of beery cheering made sweet music in their rear.
"Well, fancy a little chap like that.... Well, 'e's gotter blasted nerve!"
* * * * *
The Kids' Man. That is his title—used sometimes affectionately and sometimes bitterly. He is the children's champion, and often he is met with curses, and that plea of parenthood which is supposed to justify51 all manner of gross and unnameable abominations: "Can't a farver do what he likes wiv his own child?"
The Society employs two hundred and fifty Inspectors52, whose work is to watch over the welfare of the children in their allotted53 district. But, since most ill-treatment takes place behind closed doors, it is difficult for an outsider to obtain direct evidence, and neighbours, even when they know that children are being starved and daily tortured, are shy of lodging54 information, lest it may lead to the publicity55 of the police-court and the newspapers, and subsequently to open permanent enmity from the people next whom they have to live.
The Kids' Man is usually an old Army or Navy man, accustomed to making himself heard,[Pg 120] and able to hold his own. The chief qualities for such a post are: a real love of children; tact56 and knowledge of men; and ability to deal with a hostile reception. It is by no means pleasant, as you have seen, to pay a warning visit to a house up a narrow alley57, whose inhabitants form something of a clan58 or freemasonry lodge59.
The motto of the Society, however, is persuasion60. Prosecutions61 are extremely distasteful, and are only used when all other means have failed. In any case that comes to the Inspector's knowledge, his first thought is the children's well-being62. If they are being starved, he provides them with food, clothes, bedding and baths, or sees that the parish does so without any of the delays incident to parish charity. Then he has a quiet talk with the parents, and gives a warning. Usually this is enough. In cases where the neglect is due to lack of work, he is sometimes an employment agency, and finds work for the father. But, if necessary, there are more warnings, and then, with great reluctance63, an appearance in court is called for.
Cruelty is of two kinds—active and passive. The passive cruelty is the cruelty of neglect—lack of proper food, clothing, sanitation64, etc. The other kind—the active cruelty of a diabolical65 [Pg 121]nature—comes curiously66 enough, not so much from the lower, but from the upper classes. It is seldom that the rough navvy is deliberately67 cruel to his children; but Inspectors can tell you some appalling68 stories of torture inflicted69 on children by leisured people of means and breeding. Among their convictions are doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and many women of position.
There was one terrible case of a woman in county society—you will remember her Cornish name—who had been guilty of atrocious cruelty to a little girl of twelve. The Kids' Man called. The woman maintained that a mother had a perfect right to correct her own child. She called the child and fondled it to prove that rumour70 of tortures was wrong. But the Kids' Man knows children; and the look in the child's eyes told him of terrorizing. He demanded a medical examination.
The case was proved in court. A verdict of "Guilty" was given. And the punishment for this fair degenerate—￡50 fine! The punishment for the Kids' Man was a kind of social ostracism71. There lies the difficulty of the work. The woman's position had saved her.
The Kids' Man needs to have his eyes open[Pg 122] everywhere and at every time for signs of suffering among the little ones. And often, where a father won't listen to advice from him, he is found amenable72 to suggestions from Mrs. Inspector.
In every big town in this country you will find the N.S.P.C.C. bureau, but, in spite of their efforts, too much cruelty is going on that might be stopped if the British people, as a race, were not too fond of "minding their own business" and shutting their eyes to everyday evils.
If you still think England a Christian73 and enlightened country, you had better accompany an N.S.P.C.C. man on his daily round. Before you do so, inspect the record at their offices. Read the verbatim reports of some of their cases. Look at their "museum" which Mr. Parr, the secretary, will show you; a museum more hideous74 than any collection of inquisition relics75 or than anything in the Tower. You will then know something of the hideous conditions of child-life in "this England of ours," and you will be prepared for what you shall see on your tour with the Kids' Man.
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1
wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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savagely
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| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
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wielding
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| 手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的现在分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响） | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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frayed
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| adj.磨损的v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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fumed
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| 愤怒( fume的过去式和过去分词 )； 大怒； 发怒； 冒烟 | |
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raucous
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| adj.(声音)沙哑的，粗糙的 | |
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scrap
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| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
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misty
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| adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的 | |
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aurora
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| n.极光 | |
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braces
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| n.吊带，背带；托架( brace的名词复数 )；箍子；括弧；（儿童）牙箍v.支住( brace的第三人称单数 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来 | |
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14
furry
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| adj.毛皮的；似毛皮的；毛皮制的 | |
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15
hitched
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| （免费）搭乘他人之车( hitch的过去式和过去分词 )； 搭便车； 攀上； 跃上 | |
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16
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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protruded
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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insidious
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| adj.阴险的，隐匿的，暗中为害的，（疾病）不知不觉之间加剧 | |
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smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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24
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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torpid
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| adj.麻痹的，麻木的，迟钝的 | |
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auditorium
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| n.观众席，听众席；会堂，礼堂 | |
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sloppy
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| adj.邋遢的，不整洁的 | |
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28
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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29
flatten
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| v.把．．．弄平，使倒伏；使(漆等)失去光泽 | |
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shuffled
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| v.洗（纸牌）( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 )；拖着脚步走；粗心地做；摆脱尘世的烦恼 | |
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31
capered
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| v.跳跃，雀跃( caper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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32
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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33
exhorted
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| v.劝告，劝说( exhort的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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34
spurt
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| v.喷出；突然进发；突然兴隆 | |
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natty
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| adj.整洁的，漂亮的 | |
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ethics
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| n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准 | |
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37
wade
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| v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉 | |
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38
dodging
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| n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避 | |
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39
lumbering
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| n.采伐林木 | |
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pals
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| n.朋友( pal的名词复数 )；老兄；小子；（对男子的不友好的称呼）家伙 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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42
swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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43
hustling
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| 催促（hustle的现在分词形式） | |
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caressed
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| 爱抚或抚摸…( caress的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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45
impeded
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| 阻碍，妨碍，阻止( impede的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46
prostrate
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| v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的 | |
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47
implored
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| 恳求或乞求（某人）( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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48
hustled
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| 催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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49
bruised
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| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
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50
orphan
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| n.孤儿；adj.无父母的 | |
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51
justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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52
inspectors
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| n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官 | |
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53
allotted
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| 分配，拨给，摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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54
lodging
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| n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
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55
publicity
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| n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告 | |
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56
tact
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| n.机敏，圆滑，得体 | |
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57
alley
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| n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路 | |
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58
clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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60
persuasion
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| n.劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派 | |
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61
prosecutions
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| 起诉( prosecution的名词复数 )； 原告； 实施； 从事 | |
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62
well-being
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| n.安康，安乐，幸福 | |
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63
reluctance
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| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
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64
sanitation
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| n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备 | |
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65
diabolical
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| adj.恶魔似的，凶暴的 | |
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66
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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67
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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68
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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69
inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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70
rumour
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| n.谣言，谣传，传闻 | |
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71
ostracism
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| n.放逐；排斥 | |
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72
amenable
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| adj.经得起检验的；顺从的；对负有义务的 | |
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73
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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74
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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75
relics
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| [pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸 | |
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