ing of soap, so all s well, and God s still in heaven.
Besides, so beautiful is the adjustment of all things
in this world, here in East London it rains nearly
every day, and, willy-nilly, our baths would be on
tap upon the street.

True, the sanitation of the places I visited was
wretched. From the imperfect sewage and drain
age, defective traps, poor ventilation, dampness, and
general foulness, I might expect my wife and babies
speedily to be attacked by diphtheria, croup, typhoid,
erysipelas, blood poisoning, bronchitis, pneumonia,
consumption, and various kindred disorders. Cer
tainly the death-rate would be exceedingly high.
But observe again the beauty of the adjustment.
The most rational act for a poor man in East
London with a large family is to get rid of it; the
conditions in East London are such that they will
get rid of the large family for him. Of course,
there is the chance that he may perish in the
process. Adjustment is not so apparent in this
event; but it is there, somewhere, I am sure. And
when discovered it will prove to be a very beautiful
and subtle adjustment, or else the whole scheme
goes awry and something is wrong.

However, I rented no rooms, but returned to my
own Johnny Upright s street. What with my wife,
and babies, and lodgers, and the various cubby
holes into which I had fitted them, my mind s eye

[[26]]

p025 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p026w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p027

v?