In his poor claw he grips the chief implement of his work--a black rag.

His grimy hands shine with paraffin, and the oil, sunk and blackened in his nails, gives them a look of wick ends.
All day long he cleans lamps, and repairs, and unscrews, and fills, and wipes them.

The dirt and the darkness of this population of appliances he attracts to himself, and he works like a nigger.
"For it's got to be well done," he says, "and even when you're fagged out, you must keep on rubbing hard." "There's six hundred and sixty-three, monsieur" (he says "monsieur" as soon as he embarks on technical explanations), "counting the smart ones in the fine offices, and the lanterns in the wood-yard, and the night watchmen.

You'll say to me, 'Why don't they have electricity that lights itself ?' It's 'cos that costs money and they get paraffin for next to nothing, it seems, through a big firm 'at they're in with up yonder.

As for me, I'm always on my legs, from the morning when I'm tired through sleeping badly, from after dinner when you feel sick with eating, up to the evening, when you're sick of everything." The bell has rung, and we go away in company.