"Oh, I say," I cried, "don't talk to a fellow as if he were a little
boy! Come, Uncle Dick, what sort of a place is Arrowfield?"
"Land of fire."
"Oh!" I cried. "Is it, Uncle Jack?"
"Land of smoke."
"Land of fire and smoke!" I cried excitedly. "Uncle Bob, are they
making fun of me?"
"Land of noise, and gloom, and fog," said Uncle Bob. "A horrible place
in a hole."
"And are we going there?"
"Don't know," said Uncle Bob. "Wait and see."
They went on with their drawings and calculations, and I sat by the fire
in the barrack room, that is, in their sitting-room, trying to read, but
with my head in a whirl of excitement about Arrowfield, when my father
came in, laid his hand on my head, and turned to my uncles.
"Well, boys," he said, "how do you bring it in? What's to be done?"
"Sit down, and let's settle it, Alick," said Uncle Dick, leaning back
and spreading his big beard all over his chest.
"Ah, do!" cried Uncle Jack, rubbing his curly head.
"Once and for all," said Uncle Bob, drawing his chair forward, stooping
down, taking up his left leg and holding it across his right knee.
My father drew forward an easy-chair, looking very serious, and resting
his hand on the back before sitting down, he said without looking at me:
"Go to your mother and sister, Jacob."
I rose quickly, but with my forehead wrinkling all over, and I turned a
pitiful look on my three uncles.
"What are you going to send him away for?" said Uncle Dick.
"Because this is not boys' business."
"Oh, nonsense!" said Uncle Jack. "He'll be as interested in it as we
are."
"Yes, let him stop and hear," said Uncle Bob.
"Very good. I'm agreeable," said my father. "Sit down, Jacob."
I darted a grateful look at my uncles, spreading it round so that they
all had a glance, and dropped back into my seat.
"Well," said my father, "am I to speak?"
"Yes."
This was in chorus; and my father sat thinking for a few minutes, during
which I exchanged looks and nods with my uncles, all of which was very
satisfactory.
"Well," said my father at last, "to put it in short, plain English, we
four have each our little capital embarked in our works."
Here there were three nods.
"We've all tried everything we knew to make the place a success, but
year after year goes by and we find ourselves worse off. In three more
bad years we shall be ruined."
"And Jacob will have to set to work and keep us all," said Uncle Dick.
My father looked round at me and nodded, smiling sadly, and I could see
that he was in great trouble.
"Here is our position, then, boys: Grandison and Company are waiting for
our answer in Bermondsey. They'll buy everything as it stands at a fair
valuation; that's one half. The other is: the agents at Arrowfield are
waiting also for our answer about the works to let there."
Here he paused for a few moments and then went on:
"We must look the matter full in the face. If we stay as we are the
trade is so depreciating that we shall be ruined. If we go to
Arrowfield we shall have to begin entirely afresh; to fight against a
great many difficulties; the workmen there are ready to strike, to turn
upon you and destroy."
Uncle Dick made believe to spit in his hands.
"To commit outrages."
Uncle Jack tucked up his sleeves.
"And ratten and blow up."
Uncle Bob half took off his coat.
"In short, boys, we shall have a terribly hard fight; but there is ten
times the opening there, and we may make a great success. That is our
position, in short," said my father. "What do you say?"
My three uncles looked hard at him and then at one another, seemed to
read each other's eyes, and turned back to him.
"You're oldest, Alick, and head of the firm," said Uncle Dick; "settle
it."
"No," said my father, "it shall be settled by you three."
"I know what I think," said Uncle Jack; "but I'd rather you'd say."
"My mind's made up," said Uncle Bob, "but I don't want to be speaker.
You settle it, Alick."
"No," said my father; "I have laid the case before you three, who have
equal stakes in the risk, and you shall settle the matter."
There was a dead silence in the room, which was so still that the
sputtering noise made by the big lamp and the tinkle of a few cinders
that fell from the fire sounded painfully loud. They looked at each
other, but no one spoke, till Uncle Dick had fidgeted about in his chair
for some time, and then, giving his big beard a twitch, he bent forward.
I heard my other uncles sigh as if they were relieved, and they sat back
farther in their seats listening for what Uncle Dick, who was the
eldest, might wish to say.
"Look here," he cried at last.
Everybody did look there, but saw nothing but Uncle Dick, who kept
tugging at one lock of his beard, as if that was the string that would
let loose a whole shower-bath of words.
"Well!" he said, and there was another pause.
"Here," he cried, as if seized by a sudden fit of inspiration, "let's
hear what Cob has to say."
"Bravo! Hear, hear, hear!" cried my two uncles in chorus, and Uncle
Dick smiled and nodded and looked as if he felt highly satisfied with
himself; while I, with a face that seemed to be all on fire, jumped up
excitedly and cried:
"Let's all go and begin again."
"That's it--that settles it," cried Uncle Bob.
"Yes, yes," said Uncle Dick and Uncle Jack. "He's quite right. We'll
go."
Then all three beat upon the table with book and pencil and compasses,
and cried, "Hear, hear, hear!" while I shrank back into my chair, and
felt half ashamed of myself as I glanced at my father and wondered
whether he was angry on account of what I had proposed.
"That is settled then," he said quietly. "Jacob has been your
spokesman; and now let me add my opinion that you have taken the right
course. What I propose is this, that one of us stays and carries on the
business here till the others have got the Arrowfield affair in full
swing. Who will stay?"
There was no answer.
"Shall I?" said my father.
"Yes, if you will," they chorused.
"Very good," said my father. "I am glad to do so, for that will give me
plenty of time to make arrangements for Jacob here."
"But he must go with us," said Uncle Dick.
"Yes, of course," said Uncle Jack.
"Couldn't go without him."
"But his education as an engineer?"
"Now, look here, Alick," said Uncle Dick, "don't you think he'll learn
as much with us down at the new works as in any London place?"
My father sat silent and thoughtful, while I watched the play of his
countenance and trembled as I saw how he was on the balance. For it
would have been terrible to me to have gone away now just as a new life
of excitement and adventure was opening out.
"Do you really feel that you would like Jacob to go with you?" said my
father at last.
There was a unanimous "Yes!" at this, and my heart gave a jump.
"Well, then," said my father, "he shall go."
That settled the business, except a general shaking of hands, for we
were all delighted, little thinking, in our innocence, of the troubles,
the perils, and the dangers through which we should have to go.