No time was lost. The agreements were signed, and Uncle Dick packed up
his traps, as he called them, that is to say, his books, clothes, and
models and contrivances, so as to go down at once, take possession of
the works, and get apartments for us.
I should have liked to go with him, but I had to stay for another week,
and then, after a hearty farewell, we others started, my father, mother,
and sister seeing us off by rail; and until I saw the trees, hedges, and
houses seeming to fly by me I could hardly believe that we were really
on our way.
Of course I felt a little low-spirited at leaving home, and I was a
little angry with myself for seeming to be so glad to get away from
those who had been so patient and kind, but I soon found myself arguing
that it would have been just the same if I had left home only to go to
some business place in London. Still I was looking very gloomy when
Uncle Jack clapped me on the shoulder, and asked me if I didn't feel
like beginning to be a man.
"No," I said sadly, as I looked out of the window at the flying
landscape, so that he should not see my face. "I feel more as if I was
beginning to be a great girl."
"Nonsense!" said Uncle Bob; "you're going to be a man now, and help us."
"Am I?" said I sadly.
"To be sure you are. There, put that gloomy face in your pocket and
learn geography."
They both chatted to me, and I felt a little better, but anything but
cheerful, for it was my first time of leaving home. I looked at the
landscape, and the towns and churches we passed, but nothing seemed to
interest me till, well on in my journey, I saw a sort of wooden tower
close to the line, with a wheel standing half out of the top. There was
an engine-house close by--there was no doubt about it, for I could see
the puffs of white steam at the top, and a chimney. There was a great
mound of black slate and rubbish by the end; but even though the railway
had a siding close up to it, and a number of trucks were standing
waiting, I did not realise what the place was till Uncle Jack said:
"First time you've seen a coal-pit, eh?"
"Is that a coal-pit?" I said, looking at the place more eagerly.
"Those are the works. Of course you can't see the shaft, because that's
only like a big square well."
"But I thought it would be a much more interesting place," I said.
"Interesting enough down below; but of course there is nothing to see at
the top but the engine, cage, and mouth of the shaft."
That brightened me up at once. There was something to think about in
connection with a coal-mine--the great deep shaft, the cage going up and
down, the miners with their safety-lamps and picks. I saw it all in
imagination as we dashed by another and another mine. Then I began to
think about the accidents of which I had read; when men unfastened their
wire-gauze lamps, so that they might do that which was forbidden in a
mine, smoke their pipes. The match struck or the opened lamp set fire
to the gas, when there was an awful explosion, and after that the
terrible dangers of the after-damp, that fearful foul air which no man
could breathe for long and live.
There were hundreds of thoughts like this to take my attention as we
raced on by the fast train till, to my surprise, I found that it was
getting dark, and the day had passed.
"Here we are close to it," said Uncle Jack; "look, my lad."
I gazed out of the window on our right as the train glided on, to see
the glare as of a city on fire: the glow of a dull red flickered and
danced upon the dense clouds that overhung the place. Tall chimneys
stood up like black stakes or posts set up in the reflection of open
furnace doors. Here a keen bright light went straight up through the
smoke with the edges exactly defined--here it was a sharp glare, there a
dull red glow, and everywhere there seemed to be fire and reflection,
and red or golden smoke mingled with a dull throbbing booming sound,
which, faintly heard at first, grew louder and louder as the train
slackened speed, and the pant and pulsation of the engine ceased.
"Isn't something dreadful the matter?" I said, as I gazed excitedly
from the window.
"Matter!" said Uncle Jack laughing.
"Yes, isn't the place on fire? Look! Look! There there!"
I pointed to a fierce glare that seemed to reach up into the sky,
cutting the dense cloud like millions of golden arrows shot from some
mighty engine all at once.
"Yes, I see, old fellow," said Uncle Jack. "They have just tapped a
furnace, and the molten metal is running into the moulds, that's all."
"But the whole town looks as if it were in a blaze," I said nervously.
"So did our works sometimes, didn't they? Well, here we are in a town
where there are hundreds upon hundreds of works ten times as big as
ours. Nearly everybody is either forging, or casting, or grinding. The
place is full of steam-engines, while the quantity of coal that is burnt
here every day must be prodigious. Aha! Here's Uncle Dick."
He had caught sight of us before we saw him, and threw open the
carriage-door ready to half haul us out, as he shook hands as if we had
not met for months.
"That's right," he cried. "I _am_ glad you've come. I've a cab
waiting. Here, porter, lay hold of this baggage. Well, Cob, what do
you think of Arrowfield?"
"Looks horrible," I said in the disappointed tones of one who is tired
and hungry.
"Yes, outside," said Uncle Dick; "but wait till you see the inside."
Uncle Dick was soon standing in what he called the inside of
Arrowfield--that is to say the inside of the comfortable furnished
lodgings he had taken right up a hill, where, over a cosy tea-table with
hot country cakes and the juiciest of hot mutton chops, I soon forgot
the wearisome nature of our journey, and the dismal look of the town.
"Eat away, my boys," cried Uncle Dick. "Yeat, as they call it here.
The place is all right; everything ready for work, and we'll set to with
stout hearts, and make up for lost time."
"When do we begin, uncle--to-morrow?"
"No, no: not till next Monday morning. To-morrow we'll have a look over
the works, and then we'll idle a bit--have a few runs into the country
round, and see what it's like."
"Black dismal place," I said dolefully.
"Says he's tired out and wants to go to bed," said Uncle Jack, giving
his eye a peculiar cock at his brothers.
"I didn't," I cried.
"Not in words, my fine fellow, but you looked it."
"Then I won't look so again," I cried. "I say, don't talk to me as if I
were a little boy to be sent to bed."
"Well, you're not a man yet, Cob. Is he, boys?"
Uncle Dick was in high spirits, and he took up a candle and held it
close to my cheek.
"What's the matter?" I said. "Is it black? I shouldn't wonder."
"Not a bit, Cob," he said seriously. "You can't even see a bit of the
finest down growing."
"Oh, I say," I cried, "it's too bad! I don't pretend to be a man at
sixteen; but now I've come down here to help you in the new works, you
oughtn't to treat me as if I were a little boy."
"Avast joking!" said Uncle Dick quietly, for the comely landlady came in
to clear away the tea-things, and she had just finished when there was a
double knock at the front door.
We heard it opened, and a deep voice speaking, and directly after the
landlady came in with a card.
"Mr Tomplin, gentlemen," she said. "He's at the door, and I was to say
that if it was inconvenient for you to see him to-night, perhaps you
would call at his office when you were down the town."
"Oh, ask him in, Mrs Stephenson," cried Uncle Dick; and as she left the
room--"it's the solicitor to whom I brought the letter of introduction
from the bank."
It was a short dark man in black coat and waistcoat and pepper-and-salt
trousers who was shown in. He had little sharp eyes that seemed to
glitter. So did his hair, which was of light-grey, and stood up all
over his head as if it was on white fire. He had not a particle of hair
on his face, which looked as if he was a very good customer to the
barber.
He shook hands very heartily with all of us, nodding pleasantly the
while; and when he sat down he took out a brown-and-yellow silk
handkerchief and blew his nose like a horn.
"Welcome to Yorkshire, gentlemen!" he said. "My old friends at the bank
send me a very warm letter of recommendation about you, and I'm at your
service. Professional consultations at the usual fee, six and eight or
thirteen and four, according to length. Friendly consultations--Thank
you, I'm much obliged. This is a friendly consultation. Now what can I
do for you?"
He looked round at us all, and I felt favourably impressed. So did my
uncles, as Uncle Dick answered for all.
"Nothing at present, sir. By and by we shall be glad to come to you for
legal and friendly advice too."
"That's right," said Mr Tomplin. "You've taken the Rivulet Works, I
hear."
"Yes, down there by the stream."
"What are you going to do?--carry on the old forging and grinding?"
"Oh, dear, no!" said Uncle Dick. "We are going in for odds and ends,
sir. To introduce, I hope, a good many improvements in several branches
of the trades carried on here, principally in forging."
Mr Tomplin drew in his lips and filled his face with wrinkles.
"Going to introduce new inventions, eh?" he said.
"Yes, sir, but only one at a time," said Uncle Jack.
"And have you brought a regiment of soldiers with you, gentlemen?"
"Brought a what?" said Uncle Bob, laughing.
"Regiment of soldiers, sir, and a company of artillerymen with a couple
of guns."
"Ha! Ha! Ha!" laughed Uncle Dick, showing his white teeth. "Mr
Tomplin means to besiege Arrowfield."
"No, I don't, my dear sir. I mean to turn your works into a fort to
defend yourselves against your enemies."
"My dear sir," said Uncle Jack, "we haven't an enemy in the world."
"Not at the present moment, sir, I'll be bound," said Mr Tomplin,
taking snuff, and then blowing his nose so violently that I wondered he
did not have an accident with it and split the sides. "Not at the
present moment, gentlemen; but as soon as it is known that you are going
to introduce new kinds of machinery, our enlightened townsmen will
declare you are going to take the bread out of their mouths and destroy
everything you make."
"Take the bread out of their mouths, my dear Mr Tomplin!" said Uncle
Jack. "Why, what we do will put bread in their mouths by making more
work."
"Of course it will, my dear sirs."
"Then why should they interfere?"
"Because of their ignorance, gentlemen. They won't see it. Take my
advice: there's plenty to be done by clever business men. Start some
steady manufacture to employ hands as the work suggests. Only use
present-day machinery if you wish to be at peace."
"We do wish to be at peace, Mr Tomplin," said Uncle Bob; "but we do not
mean to let a set of ignorant workmen frighten us out of our projects."
"Hear, hear!" said Uncle Dick and Uncle Jack; and I put in a small
"hear" at the end.
"Well, gentlemen, I felt it to be my duty to tell you," said Mr
Tomplin, taking more snuff and making more noise. "You will have
attacks made upon you to such an extent that you had better be in the
bush in Queensland among the blacks."
"But not serious attacks?" said Uncle Jack. "Attempts to frighten us?"
"Attempts to frighten you! Well, you may call them that," said Mr
Tomplin; "but there have been two men nearly beaten to death with
sticks, one factory set on fire, and two gunpowder explosions during the
past year. Take my advice, gentlemen, and don't put yourself in
opposition to the workmen if you are going to settle down here."
He rose, shook hands, and went away, leaving us looking at each other
across the table.
"Cheerful place Arrowfield seems to be," said Uncle Dick.
"Promises to be lively," said Uncle Jack.
"What do you say, Cob?" cried Uncle Bob. "Shall we give up, be
frightened, and run away like dogs with our tails between our legs?"
"No!" I cried, thumping the table with my fist. "I wouldn't be
frightened out of anything I felt to be right."
"Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!" cried my uncles.
"At least I don't think I would," I said. "Perhaps I really am a coward
after all."
"Well," said Uncle Dick, "I don't feel like giving up for such a thing
as this. I'd sooner buy pistols and guns and fight. It can't be so bad
as the old gentleman says. He's only scaring us. There, it's ten
o'clock; you fellows are tired, and we want to breakfast early and go
and see the works, so let's get to bed."
We were far enough out of the smoke for our bedrooms to be beautifully
white and sweet, and I was delighted with mine, as I saw what a snug
little place it was. I said "Good-night!" and had shut my door, when,
going to my window, I drew aside the blind, and found that I was looking
right down upon the town.
"Oh!" I ejaculated, and I ran out to the next room, which was Uncle
Dick's. "Look!" I cried. "Now you'll believe me. The town is on
fire."
He drew up the blind, and threw up his window, when we both looked down
at what seemed to be the dying out of a tremendous conflagration--dying
out, save in one place, where there was a furious rush of light right up
into the air, with sparks flying and flickering tongues of flame darting
up and sinking down again, while the red and tawny-yellow smoke rolled
away.
"On fire, Cob!" he said quietly. "Yes, the town's on fire, but in the
proper way. Arrowfield is a fiery place--all furnaces. There's nothing
the matter, lad."
"But there! There!" I cried, "where the sparks are roaring and rushing
out with all that flame."
"There! Oh! That's nothing, my boy. The town is always like this."
"But you don't see where I mean," I cried, still doubting, and pointing
down to our right.
"Oh, yes! I do, my dear boy. That is where they are making the
Bessemer steel."