The man first neglects, and afterwards cannot obtain, work--he is relieved by the parish; and when distress and drunkenness have done their work upon him, he is maintained, a harmless babbling idiot, in the parish asylum.
The parish beadle is one of the most, perhaps _the_ most, important member of the local administration.

He is not so well off as the churchwardens, certainly, nor is he so learned as the vestry-clerk, nor does he order things quite so much his own way as either of them.

But his power is very great, notwithstanding; and the dignity of his office is never impaired by the absence of efforts on his part to maintain it.
The beadle of our parish is a splendid fellow.

It is quite delightful to hear him, as he explains the state of the existing poor laws to the deaf old women in the board-room passage on business nights; and to hear what he said to the senior churchwarden, and what the senior churchwarden said to him; and what 'we' (the beadle and the other gentlemen) came to the determination of doing.

A miserable-looking woman is called into the boardroom, and represents a case of extreme destitution, affecting herself--a widow, with six small children.