Obstinacy 
not realised it until then, that the Relieving Officer 
had left the neighbourhood. 
At this point, I grieve to say, my record grows 
indistinét. I didn’t know then, and I don’t know 
now, what duties fall to the various fun¢tionaries 
who were mentioned to me, and it looks to me as 
if I have got the titles of them mixed. One 
thing, however, is sure. The season being 
winter, it was night when the casuals came to his 
house, sometimes in gangs of seven or eight 
together—rough-looking people, Mr. Smith said. 
So undesirable were they that, if he was not in, 
his wife was afraid to go to the door to them. 
Upon this he appealed to the Assistant Over- 
seer, asking for advice, and the assistant said, “I 
generally sends ’em to the Relieving Officer, for 
fear of getting my head broke.” 
“Oh,” rejoined Mr. Smith, “ but I don’t mean 
to get mine broke. If anybody comes to me for 
an order, I shall give him one.” 
And that was what he told his wife to do. 
“I’m afraid to go to the door,” she said. 
“You needn’t be,” he replied. ‘‘ When you 
go to the door, take an order in your hand. 
Then ask how many of them there are, and shut 
the door again while you come back and fill up 
the order.” 
The plan worked admirably, for Mr. Smith. 
But the Vestry were amazed, indignant, finally 
59 
