From time to time as this miserable mockery proceeded the clerk in the rusty black cassock mechanically droned out a sonorous `Ah-men', and after the conclusion of the lesson the clergyman went out of the church, taking a short cut through the grave-stones and monuments, while the bearers again shouldered the coffin and followed the clerk to the grave.When they arrived within a few yards of their destination, they were rejoined by the clergyman, who was waiting for them at the corner of one of the paths.He put himself at the head of the procession with an open book in his hand, and as they walked slowly along, he resumed his reading or repetition of the words of the service.
He had on an old black cassock and a much soiled and slightly torn surplice.The unseemly appearance of this dirty garment was heightened by the circumstance that he had not taken the trouble to adjust it properly.It hung all lop-sided, showing about six inches more of the black cassock underneath one side than the other.
However, perhaps it is not right to criticize this person's appearance so severely, because the poor fellow was paid only seven-and-six for each burial, and as this was only the fourth funeral he had officiated at that day, probably he could not afford to wear clean linen - at any rate, not for the funerals of the lower classes.
He continued his unintelligible jargon while they were lowering the coffin into the grave, and those who happened to know the words of the office by heart were, with some difficulty, able to understand what he was saying:
`Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God of His great mercy to take unto Himself the soul of our Dear Brother here departed, we therefore commit his body to the ground; earth to earth; ashes to ashes, dust to dust -'
The earth fell from the clerk's hand and rattled on the lid of the coffin with a mournful sound, and when the clergyman had finished repeating the remainder of the service, he turned and walked away in the direction of the church.Hunter and the rest of the funeral party made their way back towards the gate of the cemetery where the hearse and the carriage were waiting.
On their way they saw another funeral procession coming towards them.
It was a very plain-looking closed hearse with only one horse.There was no undertaker in front and no bearers walked by the sides.
It was a pauper's funeral.
Three men, evidently dressed in their Sunday clothes, followed behind the hearse.As they reached the church door, four old men who were dressed in ordinary everyday clothes, came forward and opening the hearse took out the coffin and carried it into the church, followed by the other three, who were evidently relatives of the deceased.The four old men were paupers - inmates of the workhouse, who were paid sixpence each for acting as bearers.
They were just taking out the coffin from the hearse as Hunter's party was passing, and most of the latter paused for a moment and watched them carry it into the church.The roughly made coffin was of white deal, not painted or covered in any way, and devoid of any fittings or ornament with the exception of a square piece of zinc on the lid.
None of Rushton's party was near enough to recognize any of the mourners or to read what was written on the zinc, but if they had been they would have seen, roughly painted in black letters J.L.
Aged 67
and some of them would have recognized the three mourners who were Jack Linden's sons.
As for the bearers, they were all retired working men who had come into their `titles'.One of them was old Latham, the venetian blind maker.