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

by G. A. Henty

  CHAPTER XXX.

  RISEN.

  It was not until the pit was cleared of water and about to go to workagain, that the question of Bill Haden and his wife removing from theircottage came forward for decision. Jack had been staying with Mr. Brook,who had ordered that the house in which the late manager had livedshould be put in good order and furnished from top to bottom, and hadarranged for his widow and children to remove at once to friends livingat a distance. Feeling as he did that he owed his life to the young man,he was eager to do everything in his power to promote his comfort andprosperity, and as he was, apart from the colliery, a wealthy man and abachelor, he did not care to what expense he went.

  The house, "the great house on the hill," as Jack had described it whenspeaking to his artist friend Pastor years before, was a far larger andmore important building than the houses of managers of mines in general.It had, indeed, been originally the residence of a family owning a gooddeal of land in the neighbourhood, but they, when coal was discoveredand work began, sold this property and went to live in London, and asnone cared to take a house so close to the coal-pits and village ofStokebridge, it was sold for a nominal sum to the owner of the Vaughan,and was by him used as a residence for his manager.

  Now, with the garden nicely laid out, redecorated and repaired outsideand in, and handsomely furnished, it resumed its former appearance of agentleman's country seat. Mr. Brook begged Jack as a favour not to gonear the house until the place was put in order, and although the youngman heard that a Birmingham contractor had taken it in hand, and that alarge number of men were at work there, he had no idea of the extensivechanges which were taking place.

  A few days before work began again at the Vaughan Jack went down asusual to the Hadens', for he had looked in every day to say a few wordsto them on his way back from the pit-mouth. "Now, dad," he said, "wemust not put the matter off any longer. I am to go into the manager'shouse in a fortnight's time. I hear they have been painting and cleaningit up, and Mr. Brook tells me he has put new furniture in, and that Ishall only have to go in and hang up my hat. Now I want for you toarrange to come up on the same day."

  "We ha' been talking the matter over in every mortal way, the old womanand me, Jack, and I'll tell 'ee what we've aboot concluded. On one sidethou really wan't t' have us oop wi' 'ee."

  "Yes, indeed, dad," Jack said earnestly.

  "I know thou dost, lad; me and Jane both feels that. Well that's anargiment that way. Then there's the argiment that naturally thouwould'st not like the man who hast brought thee oop to be working in thepit o' which thou wast manager. That's two reasons that way; on theother side there be two, and the old 'ooman and me think they arestronger than t'others. First, we should be out o' place at the houseoop there. Thou wilt be getting to know all kinds o' people, andwhatever thou may'st say, Jack, your mother and me would be oot o'place. That's one argiment. The next argiment is that we shouldn't likeit, Jack, we should feel we were out o' place and that our ways were outo' place; and we should be joost miserable. Instead o' doing us akindness you'd joost make our lives a burden, and I know 'ee don't wantto do that. We's getting on in loife and be too old to change our ways,and nothing thou could'st say could persuade us to live a'ways dressedup in our Sunday clothes in your house."

  "Well, dad, I might put you both in a comfortable cottage, without workto do."

  "What should I do wi'out my work, Jack? noa, lad, I must work as long asI can, or I should die o' pure idleness. But I needn't work at a stall.I'm fifty now, and although I ha' got another fifteen years' work in me,I hope, my bones bean't as liss as they was. Thou might give me the jobas underground viewer. I can put in a prop or see to the firing o' ashot wi' any man. Oi've told my mates you want to have me and the oldwoman oop at th' house, and they'll know that if I stop underground itbe o' my own choice. I know, lad, it wouldn't be roight for me to be agetting droonk at the "Chequers" and thou manager; but I ha' told t' old'ooman that I will swear off liquor altogether."

  "No, no, dad!" Jack said, affected at this proof of Bill Haden's desireto do what he could towards maintaining his dignity. "I wouldn't thinko't. If you and mother feel that you'd be more happy and comfortablehere--and maybe you are right, I didn't think over the matter from thyside as well as my own, as I ought to have done--of course you shallstay here; and, of course, you shall have a berth as under-viewer. Asfor swearing off drink altogether, I wouldn't ask it of you, though I dowish you could resolve never to drink too much again. You ha' been usedto go to the "Chequers" every night for nigh forty years, and youcouldn't give it up now. You would pine away without somewhere to go to.However, this must be understood, whenever you like to come up to me Ishall be glad to see you, and I shall expect you on Sundays to dinner ifon no other day; and whenever the time shall come when you feel, dad,that you'd rather give up work, there will be a cottage for you andmother somewhere handy to me, and enough to live comfortably and freefrom care."

  "That's a bargain, lad, and I'm roight glad it be off my mind, for Iha' been bothering over't ever since thee spoke to me last."

  The same evening Jack had a long talk with Harry. His friend, althoughhealthy, was by no means physically strong, and found the work of aminer almost beyond him. He had never taken to the life as Jack haddone, and his friend knew that for the last year or two he had beenturning his thoughts in other directions, and that of all things hewould like to be a schoolmaster. He had for years read and studied agood deal, and Mr. Dodgson said that with a year in a training collegehe would be able to pass. He had often talked the matter over with Jack,and the latter told him now that he had entered his name in St. Mark'sCollege, Chelsea, had paid his fees six months in advance, his savingsamply sufficing for this without drawing upon his salary, and that hewas to present himself there in a week's time.

  The announcement took away Harry's breath, but as soon as he recoveredhimself he accepted Jack's offer as frankly as it was made. It hadalways been natural for Jack to lend him a hand, and it seemed to him,as to Jack, natural that it should be so now.

  "Have you told Nelly?"

  "No, I left it for you to tell, Harry. I know, of course, one reason whyyou want to be a schoolmaster, and she will know it too. She is astrange girl, is Nelly; I never did quite understand her, and I nevershall; why on earth she should refuse you I can't make out. She's hadlots o' other offers these last four years, but it's all the same.There's no one she cares for, why shouldn't she take you?"

  "I can wait," Harry said quietly, "there's plenty of time; perhaps someday I shall win her, and I think--yes, I think now--that I shall."

  "Well," Jack said cheerfully, "as you say there's plenty of time; I'vealways said thirty was the right age to marry, and you want eight yearsof that, and Nelly won't get old faster than you do, so if she don'tfall in love with any one else it must come right; she has stood out fornearly four years, and though I don't pretend to know anything of women,I should think no woman could go on saying no for twelve years."

  Harry, although not given to loud mirth, laughed heartily at Jack'sviews over love-making, and the two then walked across to Nelly Hardy'scottage. Jack told her what Bill Haden and his wife had decided, and sheapproved their determination. Then Harry said what Jack had arranged forhim.

  Nelly shook her head as if in answer to her own thoughts while Harry wasspeaking, but when he ceased she congratulated him warmly.

  "You were never fit for pit-work, Harry, and a schoolmaster's life willsuit you well. It is curious that Jack's two friends should both havetaken to the same life."

  Jack's surprise was unbounded when, a month after the reopening of theVaughan, Mr. Brook took him over to his new abode. His bewilderment atthe size and completeness of the house and its fittings was even greaterthan his pleasure.

  "But what am I to do alone in this great place, Mr. Brook?" he asked; "Ishall be lost here. I am indeed deeply grateful to you, but it is muchtoo big for me altogether."

  "It is no bigger now than it has always been," M
r. Brook said, "and youwill never be lost as long as you have your study there," and he pointedto a room snugly fitted up as a library and study. "You will be no morelonely than I or other men without wives and families; besides you knowthese may come some day."

  "Ah! but that will be many years on," Jack said; "I always made up mymind not to marry till I was thirty, because a wife prevents you makingyour way."

  "Yes; but now that you have made your way so far, Jack, a wife will aidrather than hinder you. But it will be time to think of that in anotherthree or four years. You will not find it so dull as you imagine, Jack.There is your work, which will occupy the greater part of your day.There is your study for the evening. You will speedily know all thepeople worth knowing round here; I have already introduced you to a goodmany, and they will be sure to call as soon as you are settled here. Inthe stable, my dear boy, you will find a couple of horses, and a saddle,and a dog-cart, so that you will be able to take exercise and callabout. I shall keep the horses. I consider them necessary for mymanager. My men will keep the garden in order, and I think that you willfind that your salary of L350 a year to begin with ample for your otherexpenses."

  Jack was completely overpowered by the kindness of his employer, but thelatter would not hear of thanks. "Why, man, I owe you my life," he said;"what are these little things in comparison?"

  Jack found fewer difficulties than he had anticipated in his newposition. His speech at the opening of the mine added to the favour withwhich he was held for his conduct at the time of the explosion, andfurther heightened the respect due to him for his defence of theVaughan. As he went through the mine he had ever a cheery "Good morning,Bob," "Good morning, Jack," for his old comrades, and the word "sir" wasnow universally added to the answered "Good morning," a concession notalways made by colliers to their employers.

  The miners soon felt the advantages of the new manager's energy, backedas he was in every respect by the owner. The work as laid down by thegovernment inspector was carried out, and Mr. Brook having bought up fora small sum the disused Logan mine, in which several of the lower seamsof coal were still unworked, the opening between the pits was madepermanent, and the Logan shaft became the upcast to the Vaughan, thusgreatly simplifying the work of ventilation, lessening the danger ofexplosion, and giving a means of escape for the miners should such acatastrophe recur in spite of all precautions.

  As nearly half the old workers at the pit had perished in the explosion,an equal number of new hands had to be taken on. Jack, sharing theanxiety of the vicar and Mr. Dodgson, that all the good work should notbe checked by the ingress of a fresh population, directed that allvacancies should be filled up by such colliers of good character asresided at Stokebridge, working for other pits in the neighbourhood. Asthe Vaughan promised to be the most comfortable and well-worked pit inthe country, these were only too glad to change service, and more nameswere given in than vacancies could be found for. As all the inhabitantsof Stokebridge had participated in the benefits of the night schools andclasses, and in the improvements which had taken place, the advance ofthe village suffered no serious check from the catastrophe at theVaughan.