Facing Death; Or, The Hero of the Vaughan Pit: A Tale of the Coal Mines

by G. A. Henty

  CHAPTER XV.

  THE SEWING CLASS.

  Stokebridge contained altogether a population of some three thousandsouls, of whom more than half consisted of the men and boys of theVaughan mine, and the families dependent upon them. It was a placewhere, except as to accidents at one or other of the pits, news wasscarce, and a small thing therefore created much interest. Thus the newsthat the new schoolmaster had opened a night school, and that somesixteen or eighteen of the lads belonging to the Vaughan had joined it,created quite an excitement. At first the statement was received withpositive disbelief. There was no precedent for such a thing, and in itsways at least Stokebridge was strictly conservative.

  When the tale was confirmed wonder took the place of unbelief. The womenwere unanimous in the opinion that if the school only kept the lads fromdrink it would be a blessing to the place. Drink was indeed the grandtest by which they viewed all things. To anything which led lads toavoid this curse of their homes their approval was certain andcomplete. Whether the acquisition of learning was likely to improvetheir prospects in life, or to make them better men, was not considered,the great point about the new organization was that it would keep themfrom the public-houses, the curses of the working men, and still more ofthe working men's wives and families, of this country.

  Among the men, who were, however, disposed to view the matter as a boys'fancy which would soon die away, the movement met with slight approval.Newfangled notions were held in but low estimation among the miners ofStokebridge. They had got on wi'out larning, and saw no reason why t'lads could not do as they had done. "They'll be a cocking they noses oopaboove their feythers, joost acause they know moore reading and writing,but what good ul it do they I wonder?" an elderly pitman asked a circleof workmen at the "Chequers;" and a general affirmatory grunt betokenedassent with the spirit of his words.

  Among the young men, those of from eighteen to three or four and twenty,the opposition was still stronger, for here a strong feeling of jealousywas aroused at the thought that their juniors were, as they considered,stealing a march upon them. Gibes and jeers were showered upon the"Bull-dogs," and two of them were ducked in the canal by a party of fiveor six of their elders. On scrambling out, however, they ran back to thevillage, and the rest of the party, headed by Jack, at once started onthe war-path. Coming up to the band who had assaulted their comradesthey fell upon them with fury, and in spite of the latter's superiorindividual strength, thrashed them soundly, and then gave them a duckingin the canal, similar to that which they had inflicted. After that itcame to be understood in Stokebridge that it was best to leave thebull-dogs alone, or at least to be content with verbal assaults, atwhich indeed the lads were able to hold their own.

  But it was among the girls of Stokebridge, those of from fourteen toseventeen years old, that this movement upon the part of the boysexcited the greatest discussion and the widest divergence of opinion. Upto the time of the strike Jack Simpson had been by no means popularamong their class. It was an anomaly in Stokebridge that a lad shouldhave no avowed favourite of his own age among the lasses. Theseadhesions were not often of a permanent character, although later onsometimes marriages came of them, but for a time, and until the almostinevitable quarrel came, they were regarded as binding. The lad wouldsometimes buy a ribbon or neckerchief for the lass, and she and two orthree others would accompany him as with some of his comrades hestrolled in the lanes on Sunday, or would sit by him on a wall or a balkof timber as he smoked and talked with his friends.

  Jack's rigid seclusion after his hour of play was over, his apparentindifference to the lasses of the place, was felt as a general slight,and resented accordingly; although the girls were not insensible to hisprowess in battle and in sports, to his quiet steadiness of character,or to the frankness and good temper of his face. The general opinion,therefore, among the young girls of Stokebridge was that he was "stuckup," although in fact few boys in the place had less of conceit andself-glorification than he had.

  "Did 'ee ever hear of such a tale," asked one of a group of girlssitting together on a bank, while the little ones, of whom they weresupposed to be in charge, played and rolled on the grass, "as for a loto' boys to go to school again o' their own free-will."

  "I don't see no good in it," another said, "not for the schoolingthey'll get. But if it teaches them to keep out o' the publics, it willbe good for their wives some day."

  "It will that," put in another earnestly; "my! how feyther did beatmother last night; he were as drunk as could be, and he went on awful."

  "I think sometimes men are worse nor beasts," another said.

  "Do 'ee know I've heard," Sarah Shepherd said, "that the newschoolmistress be a-going to open a night-school for girls, to teachsewing, and cutting out, and summat o' cooking." There was a generalexclamation of astonishment, and so strange was the news that it wassome time before any one ventured a comment on it.

  "What dost think o't?" Sarah questioned at last.

  "Only sewing and cutting out and cooking and such like, and notlessons?" Bess Thompson asked doubtfully.

  "Not reg'lar lessons I mean. She'll read out while the girls work, andperhaps they will read out by turns; not lessons, you know, but storiesand tales, and travels, and that kind o' book. What dost think o't?"

  "'Twould be a good thing to know how to make dresses," Fanny Jones, whowas fond of finery, remarked.

  "And other things too," put in Peggy Martin, "and to cook too. Motherain't a good hand at cooking and it puts feyther in such tempers, andsometimes I hardly wonder. I shall go if some others go. But be'est sureit be true, Sally?"

  "Harry told me," she said, "and I think Jack Simpson told him as theschoolmaster said so."

  The news was too important to be kept to themselves, and there was soona general move homewards.

  There Sally Shepherd's story received confirmation. The schoolmistresshad been going from house to house, asking all the women who haddaughters between the ages of fifteen and eighteen, to let them attend aworking class in the schoolroom two evenings a week, and the answer shealmost always received was, "Well, I ha' no objection to my lass goingif she be willing; and I think it would be very good for her to know howto make her clothes; I can hardly do a stitch myself."

  Mrs. Dodgson had also informed the women that any of them who liked tosupply the material for undergarments or for children's dresses, couldhave them for the present made up without charge by the class.

  "But suppose they spiles 'em?"

  "They wont spoil them. The work may not be very neat at first, but thethings will be well cut out and strongly put together. I will see tothat."

  In a short time the class was opened, and forty girls at once attended.So pleased were these with their teacher, and with the pleasant booksthat Mr. Dodgson read to them--for his wife was far too much occupied toread, and too wise to give the girls a distaste for the class by askingthem to do so--that the number of applicants for admission soon farexceeded the number who could be received.

  Mr. Brook heard shortly afterwards from Mr. Dodgson of the success ofthe scheme and the great benefit which was likely to accrue from it, andat once offered to contribute twenty pounds a year to secure theservices of a young woman capable of assisting in the girls' school byday and of teaching needlework.

  Thenceforth the number of class evenings was raised to three a week, andsixty girls in all were admitted. The books chosen for reading were notalways tales, but for a portion of each evening books treating ondomestic matters, the care of a house, the management of illness,cottage gardening, &c., were read; and these were found greatly tointerest the hearers. The book on gardening was a special favourite,and soon the pitmen were astonished to see changes in the tiny plots ofground behind their houses. The men in charge of the pit horses werecoaxed for baskets of manure, pennies were saved and devoted to thepurchase of seed, and the boys found that the most acceptable presentwas no longer a gay handkerchief or ribbon, but a pot of flowers.

  Revolutions are
not made in a day, but as month passed after month thechange in Stokebridge became marked. The place assumed a smarter andbrighter aspect; it was rare to hear bad language from lads or girls inthe streets, for the young ones naturally followed the fashion set bytheir elder brothers and sisters, and as a foul expression notunfrequently cost its utterer a cuff on the head, they soon became rare.

  The girls became more quiet in demeanour, neater in dress, the boys lessnoisy and aggressive.

  The boys' night-school had increased greatly in number. The Bull-dogs,after much deliberation, had declined to increase their numbers, but atJack Simpson's suggestion it had been agreed that any of them might joinother similar associations, in order that these might be conducted onthe same lines as their own, and the benefits of which they wereconscious be thus distributed more widely. Four other "clubs" were inconsequence established, all looking upon the Bull-dogs as their centralassociation.

  The vicar of the parish aided the efforts of the school master andmistress for the improvement of the rising generation of Stokebridge.Hitherto all efforts that way had failed, but he now got over a magiclantern from Birmingham, hiring sets of slides of scenery in foreigncountries, astronomical subjects, &c., and gave lectures once afortnight. These were well attended, and the quiet attention with whichhe was listened to by the younger portion of his audience, contrasted sostrongly with the indifference or uproar with which a similar attempthad been met some two years before, that he told Mr. Brook somethinglike a miracle was being wrought in the parish.

  Mr. Brook warmly congratulated Mr. and Mrs. Dodgson on the change, butthese frankly said that although they had done their best, the changewas in no slight degree due to the influence of one of the pit lads,with whom Mr. Merton had taken great pains, and who was certainly aremarkable lad.

  "Ah, indeed," Mr. Brook said. "I have a faint recollection of hisspeaking to me some years ago of one of the boys; and, now I think ofit, he is the same boy who behaved so bravely in going down that oldshaft to save another boy's life. The men gave him a gold watch; ofcourse, I remember all about it now. I am glad to hear that he isturning out so well. In a few years I must see what I can do for him."

  Mr. Dodgson would have said much more, but Mr. Merton had impressed uponhim that Jack would object, above all things, to be brought forward, andthat it was better to let him work his way steadily and bide his time.

  It was not for some months after the sewing classes had been institutedthat those for cooking were established. The difficulty was not as tothe necessary outlay for stoves and utensils, for these Mr. Brook atonce offered to provide, but as to the food to be cooked.

  The experiments began on a small scale. At first Mrs. Dodgson sent roundto say that in all cases of illness, she would have broths, puddings,and cooling drinks prepared at the schools free of charge, upon thenecessary materials being sent to her. This was followed by the plan ofbuying the materials for food for invalids, which was to be supplied ata price that just paid the cost. Then little steak puddings and pieswere made, and these commanded a ready sale; excellent soups from cheapmaterials were also provided, and for this in winter the demand wasgreater than they could supply; and so the work was extended until thetwo stoves were fully occupied for three days a week.

  Eight girls at a time were instructed in cookery, doing the whole workunder the supervision of the mistress. Two fresh hands came as two lefteach week; thus each received a month's teaching. On the first week thenew-comers simply cleaned and washed the utensils, stoves, &c., duringthe remaining three weeks they learned to make simple soups, puddings,and pies, to cook meat and vegetables. The time was short for thepurpose, but the girls were delighted with their lessons, and took thegreatest pride in keeping up the reputation of the school kitchens, andlearned at any rate sufficient to enable them to assist their mothers athome with such effect, that the pitmen of Stokebridge were astonished atthe variety and improvement of their fare.