As the afternoon wore along, we realized that liv
ing wages could not be made by men. Women
could pick as much as men, and children could do
almost as well as women; so it was impossible for
a man to compete with a woman and half a dozen
children. For it is the woman and the half-dozen

[{VILLAGE HOP PICKERS AS DISTINGUISHED FROM LONDON " HOPPERS."}]

children who count as a unit and by their combined
capacity determine the unit s pay.

"I say, matey, I m beastly hungry," said I to Bert.
We had not had any dinner.

"Blimey, but I could eat the ops," he replied.

Whereupon we both lamented our negligence in
not rearing up a numerous progeny to help us in

[[175]]

p174 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p175w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p176

v?