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Rents were, and are, very cheap. Three shillings to as high as seven and six a week will hire a very good cottage complete with garden.

As well as their gardens most Auburn men have allotments, or "little estates," as Sam prefers to call them, and these not only provide their owners' households but often send fruit and vegetables by the train to the city.

The various clubs take care of the extra insurance, and the Government provides the children's education and sometimes their milk.

I do not suggest that there was any super-civilisation about this state of affairs, but it was by no means bad and, what was more, it was getting visibly better, save that there were still not enough children in the place to the older people's minds, and the young ones were coming round to agreeing with them.

The class question was pretty well settled, at least among we middle and younger folk. Roughly it had boiled down to this: you could still touch your hat to Money or Blood; but, if so, Money must subsequently breed money in your pocket and Blood must give you service, or you were making an ass of yourself. This reversion to the very root and beginning of the whole business in a free England was typical of our trial and error age and was at least logical.