by G. A. Henty
CHAPTER XIII.
A HEAVY LOSS.
"I thought, sir, that you promised to say nothing about thatsoup-kitchen money," Jack said rather indignantly one evening afortnight after he had gone to work again.
"Here all the women of the place seem to know about it, and as I wascoming home from work to-day, there was Mrs. Thompson run out and shookme by the hand and would ha' kissed me if I'd let her, and said I'dsaved her children's lives. I ha' been thinking of going away; I can'tstand this; and I thought you promised to say nowt about it."
"'Nothing,' Jack," corrected Mr. Merton. "It is a long time since Iheard you say 'nowt.' No, Jack, I did not promise; you told me to saynothing about it, but I was careful not to promise. Sit down, lad,you're a little hot now, and I am not surprised, but I am sure that youwill credit me for having acted for the best."
Jack sat down with a little grunt, and with the expression ofdissatisfaction on his face in no way mollified.
"In the first place, Jack, you will, I know, be sorry to hear that I amgoing away."
"Going away!" Jack exclaimed, leaping to his feet, all thought of hisgrievance gone at once. "Oh! Mr. Merton."
"I told you, you will remember, Jack, when the strike first began, thatfor the sake of my daughter I should make an effort to obtain a superiorposition, and I am glad to say that I have done so. I have obtained thepost of mathematical master at the Foundation School at Birmingham, witha salary of three hundred a year, and this, Jack, I partly owe to you."
"To me!" Jack exclaimed in astonishment; "how could that be, sir?"
"Well, Jack, you got me to write that letter to Sir John Butler, thatwas the means of bringing the troops over from Birmingham. As we know,they arrived too late, for in point of fact the hot water from theVaughan boiler put an end to the riot and the strike together. However,Sir John Butler mentioned to Mr. Brook, and the other owners whose mineswere threatened, that it was I who at some risk to myself sent themessage which brought down the troops. I can assure you that Idisclaimed any merit in the affair; however, they chose to considerthemselves under an obligation, and when I applied for the vacantmastership, sending in, of course, my college testimonials, they weregood enough to exert all their influence with the governors in myfavour, and I was elected unanimously. The salary is an increasing one,and I am to be allowed to coach private pupils for the university. So,Jack, you may congratulate me."
"I do, sir, most heartily, most heartily," Jack said as he grasped thehand which Mr. Merton held out, but his voice quivered a little andtears stood in his eyes. "I am glad, indeed, although I shall miss youso terribly, you have been so good to me," and Jack fairly broke downnow, and cried silently.
Mr. Merton put his hand on his shoulder: "Jack, my work is nearly done,so far as you are concerned. You have worked nearly as far as can be ofany use to you in pure mathematics. For the next few months you may goon; but then you had better turn your attention to the usefulapplication of what you have learned. You want to fit yourself to be anengineer, especially, of course, a mining engineer; still the moregeneral your knowledge the better. You will have, therefore, to devoteyourself to the various strains and stresses in iron bridges, and thecalculation of the strength of the various forms of these structures.Then all calculations as to the expenditure of heat and force in steamengines will be quite material for you to master. In fact, there is workbefore you for another four or five years. But for much of this you willnot require a master. You will find the practical part easy to you whenyou have a thorough knowledge of mathematics. At the same time if youwill once a week send me your papers, noting all difficulties that youmay meet with, I will go through them and answer you, and will also giveyou papers to work out."
"You are very, very kind, sir," Jack said; "but it will not be the samething as you being here."
"No, not quite the same, Jack; still we can hardly help that."
"Oh, no, sir!" Jack said eagerly, "and please do not think that I am notglad to hear that you have got a place more worthy of you. It was a blowto me just at first, and I was selfish to think of myself even for amoment."
"Well, Jack, and now about this question of the soup dinner?"
"Oh! it does not matter, sir. I had forgot all about it."
"It matters a little, Jack, because, although I did not promise to keepsilence, I should certainly have respected your wish, had it not beenthat it seemed to be a far more important matter that the truth shouldbe known."
"More important, sir?" Jack repeated in a puzzled tone.
"More important, Jack. My successor has been chosen. He is just the manfor this place--earnest, well trained, a good disciplinarian. He will beno help to you, Jack. He is simply taught and trained as the master of anational school, but he is thoroughly in earnest. I have told him thathis most efficient assistant here will be yourself."
"I?" Jack exclaimed in extreme astonishment.
"You, Jack, not as a teacher, but as an example. You have immense powerof doing good, Jack, if you do but choose to exert it."
Jack was altogether too surprised to speak for some time.
"A power of good," he said at last. "The only good I can do, sir, andthat is not much, is to thrash chaps I see bullying smaller boys, butthat's nothing."
"Well, that's something, Jack; and indeed I fear you are fond offighting."
"I am not fond of it," Jack said. "I don't care about it, one way or theother. It doesn't hurt me; I am as hard as nails, you see, so I don'tthink more about fighting than I do about eating my dinner."
"I don't like fighting, Jack, when it can be avoided, and I don't thinkthat you are quarrelsome though you do get into so many fights."
"Indeed I am not quarrelsome, Mr. Merton; I never quarrel with anyone.If any of the big chaps interfere with us and want to fight, of course Iam ready, or if chaps from the other pits think that they can knock ourchaps about, of course I show them that the Vaughans can fight, or if Isee any fellow pitching in to a young one--"
"Or, in fact, Jack, on any pretext whatever. Well, if it were anyoneelse but yourself I should speak very strongly against it; but in yourcase I avow that I am glad that you have fought, and fought until, as Iknow, no one anywhere near your age will fight with you, because it nowmakes you more useful for my purpose."
Jack looked astonished again. "You don't want me to thrash anyone, Mr.Merton?" he said; "because if you do--"
"No, no, Jack, nothing is further from my thoughts. I want you to getthe lads of your own age to join a night-school, and to become a moredecent Christian set of young fellows than they are now. It is justbecause you can fight well, and are looked up to by the lads as theirnatural leader, that you can do this. Were anyone else to try it hewould fail. He would be regarded as a milksop, and be called a girl, anda Molly, and all sorts of names, and no one would join him. Now with youthey can't say this, and boys joining would say to those who made fun ofthem, 'There's Jack Simpson, he's one of us; you go and call him Mollyand see what you'll get.' Now you can talk to your comrades, and pointout to them the advantages of learning and decent manners. Show that notonly will they become happier men, but that in a worldly point of viewthey will benefit, for that the mine-owners have difficulty in gettingmen with sufficient education to act as overmen and viewers. Get them toagree to keep from drink and from the foul language which makes thestreets horrible to a decent person. You can work a revolution in theplace. You won't get them to do all this at present, but the first stepis to get them to attend a night-school. I have for the last year beenthinking over the matter, and was intending to speak to you about itwhen the strike began, and everything else was put aside. Now, I havespoken to my successor, and he is willing, and indeed anxious, to opensuch a school if the young fellows can be induced to come."
Jack sat for some time in silence. He was always slow at coming to aconclusion, and liked to think over every side of a question.
"How often would it be held, sir?" he asked presently.
"Two or three n
ights a week, Jack. Those who are anxious to get on cando as you did, and work between times."
"Two nights would be enough at first," Jack said; "but I think, yes, Ithink I could get some of them to give that. Harry Shepherd would, I'msure, and Bill Cummings, and Fred Wood, and I think five or six others.Yes, sir, I think we could start it, and all I can do I will. It woulddo a sight--I mean a great deal of good. I'll come myself at first, sir,and then if any of them make a noise or play games with the schoolmasterI'll lick 'em next day."
"No, Jack, I don't think that would do, but your presence would no doubtaid the master at first. And you'll think of the other things, Jack,the drinking, and the bad language, and so on."
"I'll do what I can, Mr. Merton," Jack said, simply, "but it must be bitby bit."
"That's right, Jack, I knew that I could rely upon you; and now come into tea, and there was one thing I wanted to say, I want you once a monthto come over to me at Birmingham on Saturday afternoon and stay tillSunday evening. It will be a great pleasure to me; I shall see how youare getting on, and shall hear all the news of Stokebridge."
"I am very very much obliged to you, sir," Jack said, colouring withpleasure, "but I am afraid I am not, not fit--"
"You are fit to associate with anyone, Jack, and it is good for you thatyou should occasionally have other association than that of yourcomrades of the pit. You will associate with people of higher rank thanmine, if you live, and it is well that you should become accustomed toit. And now, Jack, I know you will not take it amiss, but clothes do gofor something, and I should advise you to go to a good tailor's atBirmingham the first time you come over--I will obtain the address ofsuch a one--and order yourself a suit of well made clothes. As you geton in life you will learn that first impressions go a long way, and thatthe cut of the clothes have not a little to do with first impressions. Ishall introduce you to my friends there, simply as a friend; not thateither you or I are ashamed of your working in a pit--indeed, that isyour highest credit--but it would spare you the comments and sillyquestions which would be put to you. Now let us go into the next room,Alice will be expecting us."
Jack had taken tea with Mr. Merton more than once since that firstevening before the strike, and was now much more at his ease with MissMerton, who, having heard from her father that it was he who saved theVaughan pit, viewed him with a constant feeling of astonishment. Itseemed so strange to her that this quiet lad, who certainly stood in aweof her, although he was a year her senior, should have done such adaring action; equally wonderful to think that in spite of his wellchosen words and the attainments her father thought so highly of, he wasyet a pit boy, like the rough noisy lads of the village.
A week later Mr. Merton and his daughter left Stokebridge, and upon thefollowing day his successor arrived, and Jack, at Mr. Merton's request,called upon him the same evening. He was a tall man of some forty yearsold, with a face expressive of quiet power. Jack felt at once that heshould like him.
He received the lad very kindly. "I have heard so much of you from Mr.Merton," he said, "and I am sure that you will be a great help to me.Harriet," he said to his wife, a bright-looking woman of aboutthirty-five years old, who came into the room, "this is Mr. Simpson, ofwhom Mr. Merton spoke so highly to me. My wife is going to have thegirls' school, have you heard?"
"No, indeed," Jack said; "Mr. Merton did not mention it."
"It was only settled yesterday; the managers heard that my wife was atrained mistress, and as they were going to pension off the presentmistress they offered it to her."
"I am very glad," Jack said, "for Mrs. White has long been past herwork, and the girls did pretty well as they liked."
"I expect to have some trouble with them at first," Mrs. Dodgson saidcheerfully. "I often tell my husband girls are ever so much moretroublesome than boys, but I daresay I shall manage; and now, Mr.Simpson, we are just going to have supper, will you join us? It will beour first regular meal in the house."
"Thank you very much," Jack said, colouring and hesitating, "but Ithink, perhaps, you don't know that I am only a lad in the pit."
"Stuff and nonsense," Mrs. Dodgson said, "what has that to do with it?Why, Mr. Merton says that you will be John's right hand. Besides, youwill be able to tell us all about the people we shall have to do with."
In another moment Jack was seated at table, and really enjoyed the meal,lightened, as it was, by the pleasant talk of his hostess, and the gravebut not less kindly conversation of her husband.