"An answer to the question I axed."
"I gave it you before. Don"t waste any more of your time."
"Yo" made a remark, sir, on my impudence: but I were taught that it wasmanners to say either "yes" or "no," when I were axed a civil question. Ishould be thankfu" to yo" if yo"d give me work. Hamper will speak to mybeing a good hand."
"I"ve a notion you"d better not send me to Hamper to ask for a character,my man. I might hear more than you"d like."
"I"d take th" risk. Worst they could say of me is, that I did what I thoughtbest, even to my own wrong."
"You"d better go and try them, then, and see whether they"ll give youwork. I"ve turned off upwards of a hundred of my best hands, for noother fault than following you and such as you; and d"ye think I"ll takeyou on? I might as well put a firebrand into the midst of the cotton-waste."
Higgins turned away; then the recollection of Boucher came over him,and he faced round with the greatest concession he could persuadehimself to make.
"I"d promise yo", measter, I"d not speak a word as could do harm, if so beyo" did right by us; and I"d promise more: I"d promise that when I seedyo" going wrong, and acting unfair, I"d speak to yo" in private first; andthat would be a fair warning. If yo" and I did na agree in our opinion o"
your conduct, yo" might turn me off at an hour"s notice."
"Upon my word, you don"t think small beer of yourself! Hamper has hada loss of you. How came he to let you and your wisdom go?"
"Well, we parted wi" mutual dissatisfaction. I wouldn"t gi"e the pledgethey were asking; and they wouldn"t have me at no rate. So I"m free tomake another engagement; and as I said before, though I should na" sayit, I"m a good hand, measter, and a steady man--specially when I cankeep fro" drink; and that I shall do now, if I ne"er did afore."
"That you may have more money laid up for another strike, I suppose?"
"No! I"d be thankful if I was free to do that; it"s for to keep th" widow andchilder of a man who was drove mad by them knobsticks o" yourn; putout of his place by a Paddy that did na know weft fro" warp."
"Well! you"d better turn to something else, if you"ve any such goodintention in your head. I shouldn"t advise you to stay in Milton: you"retoo well known here."
"If it were summer," said Higgins, "I"d take to Paddy"s work, and go as anavvy, or haymaking, or summut, and ne"er see Milton again. But it"swinter, and th" childer will clem."
"A pretty navvy you"d make! why, you couldn"t do half a day"s work atdigging against an Irishman."
"I"d only charge half-a-day for th" twelve hours, if I could only do half-aday"swork in th" time. Yo"re not knowing of any place, where theycould gi" me a trial, away fro" the mills, if I"m such a firebrand? I"d takeany wage they thought I was worth, for the sake of those childer."
"Don"t you see what you would be? You"d be a knobstick. You"d betaking less wages than the other labourers--all for the sake of anotherman"s children. Think how you"d abuse any poor fellow who waswilling to take what he could get to keep his own children. You andyour Union would soon be down upon him. No! no! if it"s only for therecollection of the way in which you"ve used the poor knobsticks beforenow, I say No! to your question. I"ll not give you work. I won"t say, Idon"t believe your pretext for coming and asking for work; I knownothing about it. It may be true, or it may not. It"s a very unlikely story,at any rate. Let me pass. I"ll not give you work. There"s your answer."
"I hear, sir. I would na ha" troubled yo", but that I were bid to come, byone as seemed to think yo"d getten some soft place in, yo"r heart. Hoowere mistook, and I were misled. But I"m not the first man as is misledby a woman."
"Tell her to mind her own business the next time, instead of taking upyour time and mine too. I believe women are at the bottom of everyplague in this world. Be off with you."
"I"m obleeged to yo" for a" yo"r kindness, measter, and most of a" for yo"rcivil way o" saying good-bye."
Mr. Thornton did not deign a reply. But, looking out of the window aminute after, he was struck with the lean, bent figure going out of theyard: the heavy walk was in strange contrast with the resolute, cleardetermination of the man to speak to him. He crossed to the porter"slodge:
"How long has that man Higgins been waiting to speak to me?"
"He was outside the gate before eight o"clock, sir. I think he"s been thereever since."
"And it is now--?"
"Just one, sir."
"Five hours," thought Mr. Thornton; "it"s a long time for a man to wait,doing nothing but first hoping and then fearing."