Part 46 (1/2)
”No, Pannell,” I said; ”indeed I don't. You're too good a fellow.”
”Nay, I'm not,” he said, shaking his head. ”I'm a downright bad un.”
”Not you.”
”Ay, but I am--reg'lar down bad un.”
”What have you been doing?”
”Nowt,” he said; and he brought down his hammer with a tremendous bang as if he meant to make a full stop at the end of his sentence.
”Then why are you a bad one?”
He looked at me, then out of the window, then front the door, and then back at me.
”I'm going to Lunnon to get work,” he said.
”No, don't; we like you--you're such a good steady workman. Why are you going?”
”Don't like it,” he said. ”Man can't do as he pleases.”
”Uncle John says he can't anywhere, and the masters are the men's servants here.”
”Nay, lad,” he whispered as he hammered away. ”Men's worse off than the masters. Wuckman here hev to do what the trade tells him, or he'd soon find out what was what. Man daren't speak.”
”For fear of getting into trouble with his mates?”
”Nay, his mates wouldn't speak. It's the trade; his.h.!.+”
He hammered away for some time, and his skill with his hammer fascinated me so that I stopped on watching him. A hammer to me had always seemed to be a tool to strike straightforward blows; but Pannell's hammer moulded and shaped, and always seemed to fall exactly right, so that a piece of steel grew into form. And I believe he could have turned out of the glowing metal anything of which a model had been put before his eyes.
”Well,” I said, ”I must go to my writing.”
”Nay, stop a bit. We two ain't said much lately. They all gone to Kedham?”
”Yes; how did you know?”
”Oh, we knows a deal. There aren't much goes on as we don't know. Look ye here; I want to say summat, lad, and I can't--yes, I can.”
”Well, say it, then,” I said, smiling at his eagerness.
”Going to--look here, there was a rat once as got his leg caught in a trap.”
”Yes, I know there was,” I replied with a laugh.
”Nay, it's nowt to laugh at, lad. Rats has sharp teeth; and that there rat--a fat smooth rat he were--he said he'd bite him as set that trap.”
”Pannell!” I cried, as a curious feeling of dread came over me for a moment and then pa.s.sed away.
”Ay, lad.”