good day pink good day christian went straight from the s to s the tory s with whom he had contrived a political was a new man in who had so reduced the trade of dow the old hereditary that dow had to and and opinions in general so far as they were contented to express themselves in a small stock of types had brought his wife with him and insisted that religion and joking were the of politics on which principle he and christian undertook the joking and left the religion to the the joke at present in question was a practical one christian turning into the shop merely said i ve found him out � give me the and a flat bundle wrapped in a black glazed cotton bag under his arm walked out into the dusk again suppose now he said to himself as he strode along � suppose there should be some secret to be got out of this old or some notion that s as good as a secret to those who know how to use it that would be virtue rewarded but i m afraid the old is not likely to be good for much there s truth in wine and there may be some in gin and muddy beer but it s truth worth my knowing is another question i ve got plenty of truth in my time out of men who were half seas over but never any that was worth a sixpence to me the cross keys was a very old fashioned public its bar was a big rambling kitchen with an brick floor the small windows threw an interesting obscurity over the far off with and tin and with large dishes that seemed to speak of better times the two settles were half pushed under the chimney and the grate with its brick massive iron and various suggested a generous plenty possibly in all moods and except the present one way of getting an idea of our thb radical low countrymen s miseries is to go and look at their pleasures the cross keys had a landlord and a yellow sickly landlady with a bound round her head like a it had ale an of bad tobacco and remarkably strong cheese it was not what when come back might be expected to approve as the scene of enjoyment for the beings whose special it is to lift their sublime faces toward heaven still there was ample space on the hearth � accommodation for narrative or � room for a man to stretch his legs his brain was not pressed upon by a white wall within a yard of and the light did not stare in bare turning the fire to ashes compared with some beer houses of this more advanced period the cross keys of that day presented a high standard of pleasure but though this venerable public had not failed to share in the recent political excitement of drinking the pleasures it offered were not at this early hour sought by a numerous company there were only three or four pipes being smoked by the but it was enough for christian when he found that one of these was being smoked by the bill whose large flat basket with leaned near him against the settle so splendid an apparition as christian was not a little startling at the cross keys and was gazed at in expectant silence but he was a stranger in s end and was taken for the highest style of when he declared that he was thirsty ordered worth of gin and a large of water and putting a few drops of the spirit into his own glass invited who sat next him to help himself was not slower than a shaking hand obliged him to be in accepting this invitation he was a tall broad shouldered old fellow who had once been good looking but his cheeks and chest were both hollow now and his limbs were you ve got some bills there master eh said pointing to the basket is there an coming on no said with a which was the remnant of a jovial bass and with an accent which differed from the as an early habit is wont to itself i ve naught to do wi i m a it s me am getting into ment says he the landlord observed taking out his pipe with a low laugh it s sir maybe you don t belong to this part it s the candidate do most for the working men and s proved it too in the way o being open handed and wishing em to enjoy themselves if i d twenty i d give one for and i don t care who hears me the landlord peeped out from cluster of features with a confidence that the high figure of twenty had somehow raised the value of his vote now said waving his hand to the landlord you let one speak to another will you this wants to know about my bills does he or doesn t he what then i spoke according said the landlord mildly holding his own you re all very well returned but y aren t me i know what the bills are it s public business i m none o your common bill master i ve left off sticking up ten guineas reward for a sheep or low stuff like that these are s bills and i m the family and so i give him a lift a i am and a i ll be buried and if old nick tries to lay hold on me for i ll say you be hanged for a lawyer old nick every hare and on the s land is mine and what rises the family rises old and we re going to get into ment � that s the long and the short on t master and i m 