Thepitsareworkingbadly；thisisacollierydistrictlikeTevershall。
onlyprettier。IsometimessitintheWellingtonandtalktothemen。Theygrumblealot，butthey’renotgoingtoalteranything。Aseverybodysays，theNotts-Derbyminershavegottheirheartsintherightplace。Buttherestoftheiranatomymustbeinthewrongplace，inaworldthathasnouseforthem。Ilikethem，buttheydon’tcheermemuch：notenoughoftheoldfighting-cockinthem。Theytalkalotaboutnationalization，nationalizationofroyalties，nationalizationofthewholeindustry。Butyoucan’tnationalizecoalandleavealltheotherindustriesastheyare。Theytalkaboutputtingcoaltonewuses，likeSirCliffordistryingtodo。Itmayworkhereandthere，butnotasageneralthing。Idoubt。Whateveryoumakeyou’vegottosellit。Themenareveryapathetic。Theyfeelthewholedamnedthingisdoomed，andIbelieveitis。Andtheyaredoomedalongwithit。SomeoftheyoungonesspoutaboutaSoviet，butthere’snotmuchconvictioninthem。There’snosortofconvictionaboutanything，exceptthatit’sallamuddleandahole。EvenunderaSovietyou’vestillgottosellcoal：
andthat’sthedifficulty。
We’vegotthisgreatindustrialpopulation，andthey’vegottobefed，sothedamnshowhastobekeptgoingsomehow。Thewomentalkalotmorethanthemen，nowadays，andtheyareasightmorecock-sure。Themenarelimp，theyfeeladoomsomewhere，andtheygoaboutasiftherewasnothingtobedone。Anyhow，nobodyknowswhatshouldbedoneinspiteofallthetalk，theyoungonesgetmadbecausethey’venomoneytospend。Theirwholelifedependsonspendingmoney，andnowthey’vegotnonetospend。That’sourcivilizationandoureducation：bringupthemassestodependentirelyonspendingmoney，andthenthemoneygivesout。Thepitsareworkingtwodays，twoandahalfdaysaweek，andthere’snosignofbettermentevenforthewinter。Itmeansamanbringingupafamilyontwenty-fiveandthirtyshillings。Thewomenarethemaddestofall。Butthenthey’rethemaddestforspending，nowadays。
Ifyoucouldonlytellthemthatlivingandspendingisn’tthesamething!Butit’snogood。Ifonlytheywereeducatedtoliveinsteadofearnandspend，theycouldmanageveryhappilyontwenty-fiveshillings。
IfthemenworescarlettrousersasIsaid，theywouldn’tthinksomuchofmoney：iftheycoulddanceandhopandskip，andsingandswaggerandbehandsome，theycoulddowithverylittlecash。Andamusethewomenthemselves，andbeamusedbythewomen。Theyoughttolearntobenakedandhandsome，andtosinginamassanddancetheoldgroupdances，andcarvethestoolstheysiton，andembroidertheirownemblems。Thentheywouldn’tneedmoney。
Andthat’stheonlywaytosolvetheindustrialproblem：trainthepeopletobeabletoliveandliveinhandsomeness，withoutneedingtospend。
Butyoucan’tdoit。They’reallone-trackmindsnowadays。Whereasthemassofpeopleoughtn’teventotrytothink，becausetheycan’t。Theyshouldbealiveandfrisky，andacknowledgethegreatgodPan。He’stheonlygodforthemasses，forever。Thefewcangoinforhighercultsiftheylike。Butletthemassbeforeverpagan。
Butthecolliersaren’tpagan，farfromit。They’reasadlot，adeadenedlotofmen：deadtotheirwomen，deadtolife。Theyoungonesscootaboutonmotor-bikeswithgirls，andjazzwhentheygetachance，Butthey’reverydead。Anditneedsmoney。Moneypoisonsyouwhenyou’vegotit，andstarvesyouwhenyouhaven’t。
I’msureyou’resickofallthis。ButIdon’twanttoharponmyself，andI’venothinghappeningtome。Idon’tliketothinktoomuchaboutyou，inmyhead，thatonlymakesamessofusboth。But，ofcourse，whatIlivefornowisforyouandmetolivetogether。I’mfrightened，really。
Ifeelthedevilintheair，andhe’lltrytogetus。Ornotthedevil，Mammon：whichIthink，afterall，isonlythemass-willofpeople，wantingmoneyandhatinglife。Anyhow，Ifeelgreatgraspingwhitehandsintheair，wantingtogetholdofthethroatofanybodywhotriestolive，tolivebeyondmoney，andsqueezethelifeout。There’sabadtimecoming。
There’sabadtimecoming，boys，there’sabadtimecoming!Ifthingsgoonastheyare，there’snothingliesinthefuturebutdeathanddestruction，fortheseindustrialmasses。Ifeelmyinsideturntowatersometimes，andthereyouare，goingtohaveachildbyme。Butnevermind。Allthebadtimesthateverhavebeen，haven’tbeenabletoblowthecrocusout：
noteventheloveofwomen。Sotheywon’tbeabletoblowoutmywantingyou，northelittleglowthereisbetweenyouandme。We’llbetogethernextyear。AndthoughI’mfrightened，Ibelieveinyourbeingwithme。
Amanhastofendandfettleforthebest，andthentrustinsomethingbeyondhimself。Youcan’tinsureagainstthefuture，exceptbyreallybelievinginthebestbitofyou，andinthepowerbeyondit。SoIbelieveinthelittleflamebetweenus。Formenow，it’stheonlythingintheworld。
I’vegotnofriends，notinwardfriends。Onlyyou。AndnowthelittleflameisallIcareaboutinmylife。There’sthebaby，butthatisasideissue。
It’smyPentecost，theforkedflamebetweenmeandyou。TheoldPentecostisn’tquiteright。MeandGodisabituppish，somehow。Butthelittleforkedflamebetweenmeandyou：thereyouare!That’swhatIabideby，andwillabideby，CliffordsandBerthas，collierycompaniesandgovernmentsandthemoney-massofpeopleallnotwithstanding。
That’swhyIdon’tliketostartthinkingaboutyouactually。Itonlytorturesme，anddoesyounogood。Idon’twantyoutobeawayfromme。
ButifIstartfrettingitwastessomething。Patience，alwayspatience。
Thisismyfortiethwinter。AndIcan’thelpallthewintersthathavebeen。ButthiswinterI’llsticktomylittlePentecostflame，andhavesomepeace。AndIwon’tletthebreathofpeopleblowitout。Ibelieveinahighermystery，thatdoesn’tleteventhecrocusbeblownout。Andifyou’reinScotlandandI’mintheMidlands，andIcan’tputmyarmsroundyou，andwrapmylegsroundyou，yetI’vegotsomethingofyou。MysoulsoftlyNapsinthelittlePentecostflamewithyou，likethepeaceoffucking。Wefuckedaflameintobeing。Eventheflowersarefuckedintobeingbetweenthesunandtheearth。Butit’sadelicatething，andtakespatienceandthelongpause。
SoIlovechastitynow，becauseitisthepeacethatcomesoffucking。
Ilovebeingchastenow。Iloveitassnowdropslovethesnow。Ilovethischastity，whichisthepauseofpeaceofourfucking，betweenusnowlikeasnowdropofforkedwhitefire。Andwhentherealspringcomes，whenthedrawingtogethercomes，thenwecanfuckthelittleflamebrilliantandyellow，brilliant。Butnotnow，notyet!Nowisthetimetobechaste，itissogoodtobechaste，likeariverofcoolwaterinmysoul。Ilovethechastitynowthatitflowsbetweenus。Itislikefreshwaterandrain。
Howcanmenwantwearisomelytophilander。WhatamiserytobelikeDonJuan，andimpotentevertofuckoneselfintopeace，andthelittleflamealight，impotentandunabletobechasteinthecoolbetween-whiles，asbyariver。
Well，somanywords，becauseIcan’ttouchyou。IfIcouldsleepwithmyarmsroundyou，theinkcouldstayinthebottle。Wecouldbechastetogetherjustaswecanfucktogether。Butwehavetobeseparateforawhile，andIsupposeitisreallythewiserway。Ifonlyoneweresure。
Nevermind，nevermind，wewon’tgetworkedup。Wereallytrustinthelittleflame，andintheunnamedgodthatshieldsitfrombeingblownout。
There’ssomuchofyouherewithme，really，thatit’sapityyouaren’tallhere。
NevermindaboutSirClifford。Ifyoudon’thearanythingfromhim，nevermind。Hecan’treallydoanythingtoyou。Wait，hewillwanttogetridofyouatlast，tocastyouout。Andifhedoesn’t，we’llmanagetokeepclearofhim。Buthewill。Intheendhewillwanttospewyououtastheabominablething。
NowIcan’tevenleaveoffwritingtoyou。
Butagreatdealofusistogether，andwecanbutabidebyit，andsteerourcoursestomeetsoon。JohnThomassaysgood-nighttoLadyJane，alittledroopingly，butwithahopefulheart。