He comprehended nothing of the encounter; neither as to the origin of
the old man's status in his father's esteem, nor as to the cause of his
father's strange emotion. He regarded the old man impatiently as an
aged simpleton, probably over pious, certainly connected with the
Primitive Methodists. His father had said `There's a good lad' almost
cajolingly. And this was odd; for, though nobody could be more
persuasively agreeable than his father when he chose, the occasions when
he cared to exert his charm, especially over his children, were
infrequent, and getting more so. Edwin also saw something symbolically
ominous in his being sent direct to the printing office. It was no
affair of his to go to the printing office. He particularly did not
want to go to the printing office.
However, he met Big James, with flowing beard and flowing apron,
crossing the yard. Big James was brushing crumbs from the beard.
"Father wants the proof of some hymn-paper--I don't know what," he said.
"I was just coming--"
"So was I, Mister Edwin," replied Big James in his magnificent voice,
and with his curious humorous smile. And he held up a sheet of paper in
his immense hand, and strode majestically on towards the shop.
Here was another detail that struck the boy. Always Big James had
addressed him as `Master Edwin' or `Master Clayhanger.' Now it was
`Mister.' He had left school. Big James was, of course, aware of that,
and Big James had enough finesse and enough gentle malice to change
instantly the `master' to `mister.' Edwin was scarcely sure if Big
James was not laughing at him. He could not help thinking that Big
James had begun so promptly to call him `mister' because the foreman
compositor expected that the son of the house would at once begin to
take a share in the business. He could not help thinking that his
father must have so informed Big James. And all this vaguely disturbed
Edwin, and reminded him of his impending battle and of the complex
forces marshalled against him. And his hand, wandering in his pockets,
touched that unfortunate report which stated that he had lost one place
during the term.
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