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HAWORTH'S.
* * * * * *
MRS. BURNETT'S BOOKS.
_Just Published._
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_New and Uniform Edition of the above 9 vols.,
Cloth, in a box, $11.50._
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LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY. Illustrated
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TWO LITTLE PILGRIMS' PROGRESS. A Story
of the City Beautiful. Illustrated by R. B.
Birch. 12mo, 1 25
THE ONE I KNEW THE BEST OF ALL.
Illustrated. 12mo, $2 00
* * * * * *
[Illustration: HE WAS SO NEAR THAT HER DRESS ALMOST TOUCHED HIM.
(_Page 70._)]
HAWORTH'S
by
FRANCES HODGSON BURNETT
Author of "That Lass o' Lowrie's"
New York:
Charles Scribner's Sons
1907
Copyright by
Frances Hodgson Burnett,
1879, 1907.
(All rights reserved.)
CONTENTS.
PAGE
CHAPTER I.
Twenty Years 1
CHAPTER II.
Thirty Years 11
CHAPTER III.
"Not Finished" 16
CHAPTER IV.
Janey Briarley 21
CHAPTER V.
The Beginning of a Friendship 25
CHAPTER VI.
Miss Ffrench 30
CHAPTER VII.
The "Who'd Ha' Thowt It?" 39
CHAPTER VIII.
Mr. Ffrench 45
CHAPTER IX.
"Not for One Hour" 49
CHAPTER X.
Christian Murdoch 59
CHAPTER XI.
Miss Ffrench Returns 66
CHAPTER XII.
Granny Dixon 74
CHAPTER XIII.
Mr. Ffrench visits the Works 82
CHAPTER XIV.
Nearly an Accident 90
CHAPTER XV.
"It would be a Good Thing" 97
CHAPTER XVI.
"A Poor Chap as is allus i' Trouble" 101
CHAPTER XVII.
A Flower 107
CHAPTER XVIII.
"Haworth & Co." 115
CHAPTER XIX.
An Unexpected Guest 123
CHAPTER XX.
Miss Ffrench makes a Call 130
CHAPTER XXI.
In which Mrs. Briarley's Position is Delicate 137
CHAPTER XXII.
Again 142
CHAPTER XXIII.
"Ten Shillings' Worth" 152
CHAPTER XXIV.
At an End 160
CHAPTER XXV.
"I Shall not turn Back" 165
CHAPTER XXVI.
A Revolution 169
CHAPTER XXVII.
The Beginning 178
CHAPTER XXVIII.
A Speech 186
CHAPTER XXIX.
"Sararann" 192
CHAPTER XXX.
Mrs. Haworth and Granny Dixon 198
CHAPTER XXXI.
Haworth's Defender 205
CHAPTER XXXII.
Christian Murdoch 211
CHAPTER XXXIII.
A Seed Sown 220
CHAPTER XXXIV.
A Climax 227
CHAPTER XXXV.
"I am not ready for it yet" 241
CHAPTER XXXVI.
Settling an Account 245
CHAPTER XXXVII.
A Summer Afternoon 254
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
"God Bless You!" 261
CHAPTER XXXIX.
"It is done with" 267
CHAPTER XL.
"Look Out!" 274
CHAPTER XLI.
"It has all been a Lie" 284
CHAPTER XLII.
"Another Man!" 290
CHAPTER XLIII.
"Even" 294
CHAPTER XLIV.
"Why do you cry for Me?" 299
CHAPTER XLV.
"It is Worse than I Thought" 305
CHAPTER XLVI.
Once Again 311
CHAPTER XLVII.
A Footstep 316
CHAPTER XLVIII.
Finished 322
CHAPTER XLIX.
"If Aught's for Me, Remember It" 327
CHAPTER L.
An After-Dinner Speech 336
CHAPTER LI.
"Th' On'y One as is na a Foo'!" 343
CHAPTER LII.
"Haworth's is done with" 350
CHAPTER LIII.
"A Bit o' Good Black" 363
CHAPTER LIV.
"It will be to You" 369
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
HE WAS SO NEAR THAT HER DRESS ALMOST TOUCHED HIM. _Frontispiece._
HAWORTH'S FIRST APPEARANCE 1
"YO'RE TH' VERY MORAL ON HIM" 80
"SIT DOWN," SHE SAID, "AND TALK TO ME" 116
"I STAND HERE, MY LAD," HE ANSWERED 182
SHE TURNED HER FACE TOWARD HIM. "GOOD-NIGHT," SHE ANSWERED 278
"YOU'VE BEEN HERE ALL NIGHT" 323
IT WAS REDDY WHO AIMED THE BLOW 330
[Illustration: HAWORTH'S FIRST APPEARANCE.]
"HAWORTH'S."
CHAPTER I.
TWENTY YEARS.
Twenty years ago! Yes, twenty years ago this very day, and there were
men among them who remembered it. Only two, however, and these were old
men whose day was passed and who would soon be compelled to give up
work. Naturally upon this occasion these two were the center figures in
the group of talkers who were discussing the topic of the hour.
"Aye," said old Tipton, "I 'member it as well as if it wur yesterday,
fur aw it's twenty year' sin'. Eh! but it wur cowd! Th' cowdest neet i'
th' winter, an' th' winter wur a bad un. Th' snow wur two foot deep.
Theer wur a big rush o' work, an' we'd had to keep th' foires goin'
arter midneet. Theer wur a chap workin' then by th' name o' Bob
Latham,--he's dead long sin',--an' he went to th' foundry-door to look
out. Yo' know how some chaps is about seein' how cowd it is, or how hot,
or how heavy th' rain's comin' down. Well, he wur one o' them soart, an'
he mun go an' tak' a look out at th' snow.
"'Coom in, tha foo',' sez I to him. 'Whatten tha stickin' tha thick yed
out theer fur, as if it wur midsummer, i'stead o' being cowd enow to
freeze th' tail off a brass jackass. Coom in wi' tha.'
"'Aye,' he sez, a-chatterin' his teeth, 'it is cowd sure-ly. It's enow
to stiffen a mon.'
"'I wish it ud stiffen thee,' I sez, 'so as we mought set thee up as a
monyment at th' front o' th' 'Sylum.'
"An' then aw at onct I heard him gie a jump an' a bit o' a yell, like,
under his breath. 'God-a-moighty!' he sez.
"Summat i' th' way he said it soart o' wakkened me.
"'What's up?' I sez.
"'Coom here,' sez he. 'Theer's a dead lad here.'
"An' when I getten to him, sure enow I thowt he wur reet. Drawed up i' a
heap nigh th' door theer _wur_ a lad lyin' on th' snow, an' th' stiff
look on him mowt ha' gi'en ony mon a turn.
"Latham wur bendin' ower him, wi' his teeth chatterin'.
"'Blast thee!' I sez, 'why dost na tha lift him?'
"Betwixt us we did lift him, an' carry him into th' Works an' laid him
down nigh one o' the furnaces, an' th' fellys coom crowdin' round to
look at him. He wur a lad about nine year' owd, an' strong built; but he
looked more than half clemmed, an' arter we'st rubbed him a good bit an'
getten him warmed enow to coom round 'i a manner, th' way he set up an'
stared round were summat queer.
"'Mesters,' he sez, hoarse an' shaky, 'ha' ony on yo' getten a bit o'
bread?'
"Bob Latham's missus had put him up summat to eat, an' he browt it an'
gie it to him. Well, th' little chap a'most snatched it, an' crammed it
into his mouth i' great mouthfuls. His honds trembled so he could
scarce howd th' meat an' bread, an' in a bit us as wur standin' lookin'
on seed him soart o' choke, as if he wur goin' to cry; but he swallyed
it down, and did na.
"'I havn't had nowt to eat i' a long time,' sez he.
"'How long?' sez I.
"Seemt like he thowt it ower a bit afore he answered, and then he sez:
"'I think it mun ha' been four days.'
"'Wheer are yo' fro'?' one chap axed.
"'I coom a long way,' he sez. 'I've bin on th' road three week'.' An'
then he looks up sharp. 'I run away fro' th' Union,' he sez.
"That wur th' long an' short on it--he had th' pluck to run away fro'
th' Union, an' he'd had th' pluck to stond out agen clemmin' an'
freezin' until flesh an' blood ud howd out no longer, an' he'd fell down
at the foundry-door.
"'I seed th' loight o' th' furnaces,' he sez, 'an' I tried to run; but I
went blind an' fell down. I thowt,' he sez, as cool as a cucumber, 'as I
wur deein'.'
"Well, we kep' him aw neet an' took him to th' mester i' th' mornin',
an' th' mester gie him a place, an' he stayed. An' he's bin i' th'
foundry fro' that day to this, an' how he's worked an' getten on yo' see
for yoresens--fro' beein' at ivvery one's beck an' call to buyin' out
Flixton an' settin' up for hissen. It's the 'Haworth Iron Works' fro'
to-day on, an' he will na mak' a bad mester, eyther."
"Nay, he will na," commented another of the old ones. "He's a pretty
rough chap, but he'll do--will Jem Haworth."
There was a slight confused movement in the group.
"Here he cooms," exclaimed an outsider.
The man who entered the door-way--a strongly built fellow, whose
handsome clothes sat rather ill on his somewhat uncouth body--made his
way through the crowd with small ceremony. He met the glances of the
workmen with a rough nod, and went straight to the managerial desk. But
he did not sit down; he stood up, facing those who waited as if he meant
to dispose of the business in hand as directly as possible.
"Well, chaps," he said, "here we are."
A slight murmur, as of assent, ran through the room.
"Aye, mester," they said; "here we are."
"Well," said he, "you know why, I suppose. We're taking a fresh start,
and I've something to say to you. I've had my say here for some time;
but I've not had my way, and now the time's come when I _can_ have it.
Hang me, but I'm going to have the biggest place in England, and the
best place, too. 'Haworth's' sha'n't be second to none. I've set my mind
on that. I said I'd stand here some day,"--with a blow on the
desk,--"and here I am. I said I'd make my way, and I've done it. From
to-day on, this here's 'Haworth's,' and to show you I mean to start fair
and square, if there's a chap here that's got a grievance, let that chap
step out and speak his mind to Jem Haworth himself. Now's his time." And
he sat down.
There was another stir and murmur, this time rather of consultation;
then one of them stepped forward.
"Mester," he said, "I'm to speak fur 'em." Haworth nodded.
"What I've getten to say," said the man, "is said easy. Them as thowt
they'd getten grievances is willin' to leave the settlin' on 'em to Jem
Haworth."
"That's straight enough," said Haworth. "Let 'em stick to it and
there's not a chap among 'em sha'n't have his chance. Go into Greyson's
room, lads, and drink luck to 'Haworth's.' Tipton and Harrison, you wait
a bit."
Tipton and Harrison lingered with some degree of timidity. By the time
the room had emptied itself, Haworth seemed to have fallen into a
reverie. He leaned back in his chair, his hands in his pockets, and
stared gloomily before him. The room had been silent five minutes before
he aroused himself with a start. Then he leaned forward and beckoned to
the two, who came and stood before him.
"You two were in the place when I came," he said. "You"--to
Tipton--"were the fellow as lifted me from the snow."
"Aye, mester," was the answer, "twenty year' ago, to-neet."
"The other fellow----"
"Dead! Eh! Long sin'. Ivvery chap as wur theer, dead an' gone, but me
an' him," with a jerk toward his comrade.
Haworth put his hand in his vest-pocket and drew forth a crisp piece of
paper, evidently placed there for a purpose.
"Here," he said with some awkwardness, "divide that between you."
"Betwixt us two!" stammered the old man. "It's a ten-pun-note, mester!"
"Yes," with something like shamefacedness. "I used to say to myself when
I was a youngster that every chap who was in the Works that night should
have a five-pound note to-day. Get out, old lads, and get as drunk as
you please. I've kept my word. But--" his laugh breaking off in the
middle--"I wish there'd been more of you to keep it up together."
Then they were gone, chuckling in senile delight over their good luck,
and he was left alone. He glanced round the room--a big, handsome one,
well filled with massive office furniture, and yet wearing the usual
empty, barren look.
"It's taken twenty years," he said, "but I've done it. It's _done_--and
yet there isn't as much of it as I used to think there would be."
He rose from his chair and went to the window to look out, rather
impelled by restlessness than any motive. The prospect, at least, could
not have attracted him. The place was closed in by tall and dingy
houses, whose slate roofs shone with the rain which drizzled down
through the smoky air. The ugly yard was wet and had a deserted look;
the only living object which caught his eye was the solitary figure of a
man who stood waiting at the iron gates.
At the sight of this man, he started backward with an exclamation.
"The devil take the chap!" he said. "There he is again!"
He took a turn across the room, but he came back again and looked out
once more, as if he found some irresistible fascination in the sight of
the frail, shabbily clad figure.
"Yes," he said, "it's him, sure enough. I never saw another fellow with
the same, done-for look. I wonder what he wants."
He went to the door and opening it spoke to a man who chanced to be
passing.
"Floxham, come in here," he said. Floxham was a well-oiled and burly
fellow, plainly fresh from the engine-room. He entered without ceremony,
and followed his master to the window. Haworth pointed to the man at the
gate.
"There's a chap," he said, "that I've been running up against, here and
there, for the last two months. The fellow seems to spend his time
wandering up and down the streets. I'm hanged if he don't make me think
of a ghost. He goes against the grain with me, somehow. Do you know who
he is, and what's up with him?"
Floxham glanced toward the gate-way, and then nodded his head dryly.
"Aye," he answered. "He's th' inventin' chap as has bin thirty year' at
work at some contrapshun, an' hasn't browt it to a yed yet. He lives i'
our street, an' me an' my missis hes been noticin' him fur a good bit.
He'll noan finish th' thing he's at. He's on his last legs now. He took
th' contrapshun to 'Merica thirty year' ago, when he first getten th'
idea into his yed, an' he browt it back a bit sin' a'most i' the same
fix he took it. Me an' my missis think he's a bit soft i' the yed."
Haworth pushed by him to get nearer the window. A slight moisture
started out upon his forehead.
"Thirty year'!" he exclaimed. "By the Lord Harry!"
There might have been something in his excitement which had its effect
upon the man who stood outside. He seemed, as it were, to awaken slowly
from a fit of lethargy. He glanced up at the window, and moved slowly
forward.
"He's made up his mind to come in," said Floxham.
"What does he want?" said Haworth, with a sense of physical uneasiness.
"Confound the fellow!" trying to shake off the feeling with a laugh.
"What does he want with me--to-day?"
"I can go out an' turn him back," said Floxham.
"No," answered Haworth. "You can go back to your work. I'll hear what he
has to say. I've naught else to do just now."
Floxham left him, and he went back to the big armchair behind the table.
He sat down, and turned over some papers, not rid of his uneasiness even
when the door opened, and his visitor came in. He was a tall, slender
man who stooped and was narrow-chested. He was gray, hollow-eyed and
haggard. He removed his shabby hat and stood before the table a second,
in silence.
"Mr. Haworth?" he said, in a gentle, absent-minded voice. "They told me
this was Mr. Haworth's room."
"Yes," he answered, "I'm Haworth."
"I want--" a little hoarsely, and faltering--"to get some work to do. My
name is Murdoch. I've spent the last thirty years in America, but I'm a
Lancashire man. I went to America on business--which has not been
successful--yet. I--I have worked here before,"--with a glance around
him,--"and I should like to work here again. I did not think it would be
necessary, but--that doesn't matter. Perhaps it will only be temporary.
I must get work."
In the last sentence his voice faltered more than ever. He seemed
suddenly to awaken and bring himself back to his first idea, as if he
had not intended to wander from it.
"I--I must get work," he repeated.
The effect he produced upon the man he appealed to was peculiar. Jem
Haworth almost resented his frail appearance. He felt it an
uncomfortable thing to confront just at this hour of his triumph. He
had experienced the same sensation, in a less degree, when he rose in
the morning and looked out of his window upon murky sky and falling
rain. He would almost have given a thousand pounds for clear, triumphant
sunshine.
And yet, in spite of this, he was not quite as brusque as usual when he
made his answer.
"I've heard of you," he said. "You've had ill luck."
Stephen Murdoch shifted his hat from hand to hand.
"I don't know," he replied, slowly. "I've not called it that yet. The
end has been slow, but I think it's sure. It will come some----"
Haworth made a rough gesture.
"By George!" he exclaimed. "Haven't you given the thing up yet?"
Murdoch fell back a pace, and stared at him in a stunned way.
"Given it up!" he repeated. "Yet?"
"Look here!" said Haworth. "You'd better do it, if you haven't. Take my
advice, and have done with it. You're not a young chap, and if a thing's
a failure after thirty years' work----" He stopped, because he saw the
man trembling nervously. "Oh, I didn't mean to take the pluck out of
you," he said bluntly, a moment later. "You must have had plenty of it
to begin with, egad, or you'd never have stood it this long."
"I don't know that it was pluck,"--still quivering. "I've lived on it so
long that it would not give _me_ up. I think that's it."
Haworth dashed off a couple of lines on a slip of paper, and tossed it
to him.
"Take that to Greyson," he said, "and you'll get your work, and if you
have anything to complain of, come to me."
Murdoch took the paper, and held it hesitatingly.
"I--perhaps I ought not to have asked for it to-day," he said,
nervously. "I'm not a business man, and I didn't think of it. I came in
because I saw you. I'm going to London to-morrow, and shall not be back
for a week."
"That's all right," said Haworth. "Come then."
He was not sorry to see his visitor turn away, after uttering a few
simple words of thanks. It would be a relief to see the door close after
him. But when it had closed, to his discomfiture it opened again. The
thin, poorly clad figure reappeared.
"I heard in the town," said the man, his cheek flushing faintly, "of
what has happened here to-day. Twenty years have brought you better luck
than thirty have brought me."
"Yes," answered Haworth, "my luck's been good enough, as luck goes."
"It seems almost a folly"--falling into the meditative tone--"for _me_
to wish you good luck in the future." And then, pulling himself together
again as before: "it is a folly; but I wish it, nevertheless. Good luck
to you!"
The door closed, and he was gone.