"The steps of the bearers, heavy and slow,The sobs of the mourners, deep and low."
SHELLEY.
At the time arranged the previous day, they set out on their walk to seeNicholas Higgins and his daughter. They both were reminded of theirrecent loss, by a strange kind of shyness in their new habiliments, andin the fact that it was the first time, for many weeks, that they haddeliberately gone out together. They drew very close to each other inunspoken sympathy.
Nicholas was sitting by the fire-side in his accustomed corner: but hehad not his accustomed pipe. He was leaning his head upon his hand,his arm resting on his knee. He did not get up when he saw them,though Margaret could read the welcome in his eye.
"Sit ye down, sit ye down. Fire"s welly out," said he, giving it a vigorouspoke, as if to turn attention away from himself. He was ratherdisorderly, to be sure, with a black unshaven beard of several days"
growth, making his pale face look yet paler, and a jacket which wouldhave been all the better for patching.
"We thought we should have a good chance of finding you, just afterdinner-time," said Margaret.
"We have had our sorrow too, since we saw you," said Mr. Hale.
"Ay, ay. Sorrows is more plentiful than dinners just now; I reckon, mydinner hour stretches all o"er the day; yo"re pretty sure of finding me."
"Are you out of work?" asked Margaret.
"Ay," he replied shortly. Then, after a moment"s silence, he added,looking up for the first time: "I"m not wanting brass. Dunno yo" think it.
Bess, poor lass, had a little stock under her pillow, ready to slip into myhand, last moment, and Mary is fustian-cutting. But I"m out o" work a"
the same."
"We owe Mary some money," said Mr. Hale, before Margaret"s sharppressure on his arm could arrest the words.
"If hoo takes it, I"ll turn her out o" doors. I"ll bide inside these four walls,and she"ll bide out. That"s a"."
"But we owe her many thanks for her kind service," began Mr. Haleagain.
"I ne"er thanked yo"r daughter theer for her deeds o" love to my poorwench. I ne"er could find th" words. I"se have to begin and try now, if yo"
start making an ado about what little Mary could sarve yo"."
"Is it because of the strike you"re out of work?" asked Margaret gently.
"Strike"s ended. It"s o"er for this time. I"m out o" work because I ne"erasked for it. And I ne"er asked for it, because good words is scarce, andbad words is plentiful."
He was in a mood to take a surly pleasure in giving answers that werelike riddles. But Margaret saw that he would like to be asked for theexplanation.
"And good words are--?"
"Asking for work. I reckon them"s almost the best words that men cansay. "Gi" me work" means "and I"ll do it like a man. Them"s goodwords."
"And bad words are refusing you work when you ask for it."
"Ay. Bad words is saying "Aha, my fine chap! Yo"ve been true to yo"rorder, and I"ll be true to mine. Yo" did the best yo" could for them aswanted help; that"s yo"r way of being true to yo"r kind; and I"ll be true tomine. Yo"ve been a poor fool, as knowed no better nor be a true faithfulfool. So go and be d--d to yo". There"s no work for yo" here." Them"s badwords. I"m not a fool; and if I was, folk ought to ha" taught me how tobe wise after their fashion. I could mappen ha" learnt, if any one hadtried to teach me."
"Would it not be worth while," said Mr. Hale, "to ask your old master ifhe would take you back again? It might be a poor chance, but it wouldbe a chance."
He looked up again, with a sharp glance at the questioner; and thentittered a low and bitter laugh.
"Measter! if it"s no offence, I"ll ask yo" a question or two in my turn."
"You"re quite welcome," said Mr. Hale.
"I reckon yo"n some way of earning your bread. Folk seldom lives i"
Milton lust for pleasure, if they can live anywhere else."
"You are quite right. I have some independent property, but myintention in settling in Milton was to become a private tutor."
"To teach folk. Well! I reckon they pay yo" for teaching them, dunnotthey?"
"Yes," replied Mr. Hale, smiling. "I teach in order to get paid."
"And them that pays yo", dun they tell yo" whatten to do, or whatten notto do wi" the money they gives you in just payment for your pains--infair exchange like?"
"No; to be sure not!"
"They dunnot say, "Yo" may have a brother, or a friend as dear as abrother, who wants this here brass for a purpose both yo" and he thinkright; but yo" mun promise not give it to him. Yo" may see a good use,as yo" think, to put yo"r money to; but we don"t think it good, and so ifyo" spend it a-thatens we"ll just leave off dealing with yo"." They dunnotsay that, dun they?"
"No: to be sure not!"
"Would yo" stand it if they did?"
"It would be some very hard pressure that would make me even think ofsubmitting to such dictation."
"There"s not the pressure on all the broad earth that would make me, saidNicholas Higgins. "Now yo"ve got it. Yo"ve hit the bull"s eye. Hamper"s-that"swhere I worked--makes their men pledge "emselves they"ll notgive a penny to help th" Union or keep turnouts fro" clemming. Theymay pledge and make pledge," continued he, scornfully; "they nobbutmake liars and hypocrites. And that"s a less sin, to my mind, to makingmen"s hearts so hard that they"ll not do a kindness to them as needs it, orhelp on the right and just cause, though it goes again the strong hand.
But I"ll ne"er forswear mysel" for a" the work the king could gi"e me. I"ma member o" the Union; and I think it"s the only thing to do the workmanany good. And I"ve been a turn-out, and known what it were to clem; soif I get a shilling, sixpence shall go to them if they axe it from me.
Consequence is, I dunnot see where I"m to get a shilling."
"Is that rule about not contributing to the Union in force at all the mills?"
asked Margaret.
"I cannot say. It"s a new regulation at ourn; and I reckon they"ll find thatthey cannot stick to it. But it"s in force now. By-and-by they"ll find out,tyrants makes liars."
There was a little pause. Margaret was hesitating whether she shouldsay what was in her mind; she was unwilling to irritate one who wasalready gloomy and despondent enough. At last out it came. But in hersoft tones, and with her reluctant manner, showing that she wasunwilling to say anything unpleasant, it did not seem to annoy Higgins,only to perplex him.
"Do you remember poor Boucher saying that the Union was a tyrant? Ithink he said it was the worst tyrant of all. And I remember at the time Iagreed with him."