It is a mere truism to state that many a chain of grave and far-reaching
events is set in motion by some insignificant trifle. The touching of a
trigger by a child explodes a gun which extinguishes a valuable life,
and perhaps throws a whole neighbourhood into difficulties. The
lighting of a match may cause a conflagration which shall "bring down"
an extensive firm, some of whose dependants, in the retail trade, will
go down along with it, and cause widespreading distress, if not ruin,
among a whole army of greengrocers, buttermen, and other small fry.
The howling of a bad baby was the comparatively insignificant event
which set going a certain number of wheels, whose teeth worked into the
cogs which revolved in connection with our tale.
The howling referred to awoke a certain contractor near Pimlico with a
start, and caused him to rise off what is popularly known as the "wrong
side." Being an angry man, the contractor called the baby bad names,
and would have whipped it had it been his own. Going to his office
before breakfast with the effects of the howl strong upon him, he met a
humble labourer there with a surly "Well, what do you want?"
The labourer wanted work. The contractor had no work to give him. The
labourer pleaded that his wife and children were starving. The
contractor didn't care a pinch of snuff for his wife or children, and
bade him be off. The labourer urged that the times were very hard, and
he would be thankful for any sort of job, no matter how small. He
endeavoured to work on the contractor's feelings by referring to the
premature death, by starvation, of his pet parrot, which had been for
years in the family, and a marvellous speaker, having been taught by his
mate Bill. The said Bill was also out of work, and waiting for him
outside. He too would be thankful for a job--anything would do, and
they would be willing to work for next to nothing. The contractor still
professed utter indifference to the labourer's woes, but the incident of
the parrot had evidently touched a cord which could not be affected by
human suffering. After a few minutes' consideration he said there _was_
a small job--a pump at the corner of a certain street not far off had to
be taken down, to make way for contemplated alterations. It was not
necessary to take it down just then, but as the labourers were so hard
up for a job they were at liberty to undertake that one.
Thus two wheels were set in motion, and the result was that the old pump
at the corner of Purr Street was uprooted and laid low by these
labourers, one of whom looked into the lower end of the pump and said
"Hallo!"