Baard en kale

Park of a Sunday
afternoon to 'ear the blokes making speeches. Salvation Army, Roman
Catholics, Jews, Indians -- all sorts there was. And there was one bloke --
well, I couldn't give you 'is name, but a real powerful speaker 'e was. 'E
didn't 'alf give it 'em! "Lackeys!" 'e says, "lackeys of the bourgeoisie!
Flunkies of the ruling class!" Parasites -- that was another of them. And
'yenas -- 'e definitely called 'em 'yenas. Of course 'e was referring to
the Labour Party, you understand.'
Winston had the feeling that they were talking at cross-purposes.
'What I really wanted to know was this,' he said. 'Do you feel that
you have more freedom now than you had in those days? Are you treated more
like a human being? In the old days, the rich people, the people at the
top--'
'The 'Ouse of Lords,' put in the old man reminiscently.
'The House of Lords, if you like. What I am asking is, were these
people able to treat you as an inferior, simply because they were rich and
you were poor? Is it a fact, for instance, that you had to call them "Sir"
and take off your cap when you passed them?'
The old man appeared to think deeply. He drank off about a quarter of
his beer before answering.
'Yes,' he said. 'They liked you to touch your cap to 'em. It showed
respect, like. I didn't agree with it, myself, but I done it often enough.
Had to, as you might say.'
'And was it usual -- I'm only quoting what I've read in history books
-- was it usual for these people and their servants to push you off the
pavement into the gutter?'
'One of 'em pushed me once,' said the old man. 'I recollect it as if
it was yesterday. It was Boat Race night -- terribly rowdy they used to get
on Boat Race night -- and I bumps into a young bloke on Shaftesbury Avenue.
Quite a gent, 'e was -- dress shirt, top 'at, black overcoat. 'E was kind
of zig-zagging across the pavement, and I bumps in