RECENT RAT LORE 



A JUROR in a coroner's inquest held recently in 

 the East End complained that his attendance on the 

 jury had cost him a sovereign. He explained that 

 he was a rat-catcher in the Docks, and that a ship in 

 which he had been employed to kill rats had sailed 

 that morning, before he was able to return and call 

 for his money. He explained that, unlike the coroner, 

 he was paid by the job, and that unless that official 

 would give him one, he should be out of pocket to 

 the extent he named. The coroner, who apparently 

 resented the rat-catcher's references to the practice 

 and emoluments of their respective professions, only 

 offered him sympathy, and not much of that, to 

 which the rat-catcher sarcastically replied, ' Sympathy 

 without help is like pudding without fat,' and left 

 the court, declaring that next time he should refuse 

 to serve unless paid. 



The amount of the rat-catcher's earnings inci- 

 dentally threw . a light on the number of rats which 



264 



