Chapter XXI

That was the way they did it! There was not half an
hour's warning -- the works were closed! It had hap~
pened that way before, said the men, and it would happen
that way forever. They had made all the harvesting-ma~
chines that the world needed, and now they had to wait
till some wore out! It was nobody's fault -- that was the
way of it; and thousands of men and women were turned
out in the dead of winter, to live upon their savings if they
had any, and otherwise to die. So many tens of thousands
already in the city, homeless and begging for work, and
now several thousand more added to them!

Jurgis walked home with his pittance of pay in his
pocket, heartbroken, overwhelmed. One more bandage
had been torn from his eyes, one more pitfall was revealed
to him! Of what help was kindness and decency on the
part of employers -- when they could not keep a job for
him, when there were more harvesting-machines made
than the world was able to buy! What a hellish mockery
it was, anyway, that a man should slave to make harvest~
ing-machines for the country, only to be turned out to
starve for doing his duty too well!

It took him two days to get over this heart-sickening
disappointment. He did not drink anything, because
Elzbieta got his money for safekeeping, and knew him too
well to be in the least frightened by his angry demands.
He stayed up in the garret, however, and sulked -- what
was the use of a man's hunting a job when it was taken
from him before he had time to learn the work? But
then their money was going again, and little Antanas was
hungry, and crying with the bitter cold of the garret.

[[241]]

p240 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p241w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p242

v?