Part 98 (1/2)

'I am going to the office to see Rushton; if Hunter comes here, you say I told you to tell him that if I find the boy in that shop again without a fire, I'll report it to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. And as for you, if the boy comes out here to get more wood, don't you attempt to interfere with him.'

'I don't want to interfere with the b.l.o.o.d.y kid,' grunted Sawkins. 'It seems to me as if he's gorn orf 'is b.l.o.o.d.y crumpet,' he added as he watched Owen walking rapidly down the street. 'I can't understand why people can't mind their own b.l.o.o.d.y business: anyone would think the boy belonged to 'IM.'

That was just how the matter presented itself to Owen. The idea that it was his own child who was to be treated in this way possessed and infuriated him as he strode savagely along. In the vicinity of the Slave Market on the Grand Parade he pa.s.sed--without seeing them--several groups of unemployed artisans whom he knew. Some of them were offended and remarked that he was getting stuck up, but others, observing how strange he looked, repeated the old prophecy that one of these days Owen would go out of his mind.

As he drew near to his destination large flakes of snow began to fall.

He walked so rapidly and was in such a fury that by the time he reached the shop he was scarcely able to speak.

'Is--Hunter--or Rushton here?' he demanded of the shopman.

'Hunter isn't, but the guv'nor is. What was it you wanted?'

'He'll soon--know--that,' panted Owen as he strode up to the office door, and without troubling to knock, flung it violently open and entered.

The atmosphere of this place was very different from that of the damp cellar where Bert was working. A grate fitted with asbestos blocks and lit with gas communicated a genial warmth to the air.

Rushton was standing leaning over Miss Wade's chair with his left arm round her neck. Owen recollected afterwards that her dress was disarranged. She retired hastily to the far end of the room as Rushton jumped away from her, and stared in amazement and confusion at the intruder--he was too astonished and embarra.s.sed to speak. Owen stood panting and quivering in the middle of the office and pointed a trembling finger at his employer:

'I've come--here--to tell--you--that--if I find young--Bert White--working--down in that shop--without a fire--I'll have you prosecuted. The place is not good enough for a stable--if you owned a valuable dog--you wouldn't keep it there--I give you fair warning--I know--enough--about you--to put you--where you deserve to be--if you don't treat him better I'll have you punished I'll show you up.'

Rushton continued to stare at him in mingled confusion, fear and perplexity; he did not yet comprehend exactly what it was all about; he was guiltily conscious of so many things which he might reasonably fear to be shown up or prosecuted for if they were known, and the fact of being caught under such circ.u.mstances with Miss Wade helped to reduce him to a condition approaching terror.

'If the boy has been there without a fire, I 'aven't known anything about it,' he stammered at last. 'Mr 'Unter has charge of all those matters.'

'You--yourself--forbade him--to make a fire last winter--and anyhow--you know about it now. You obtained money from his mother under the pretence--that you were going--to teach him a trade--but for the last twelve months--you have been using him--as if he were--a beast of burden. I advise you to see to it--or I shall--find--means--to make you--wish you had done so.'

With this Owen turned and went out, leaving the door open, and Rushton in a state of mind compounded of fear, amazement and anger.

As he walked homewards through the snow-storm, Owen began to realize that the consequence of what he had done would be that Rushton would not give him any more work, and as he reflected on all that this would mean to those at home, for a moment he doubted whether he had done right. But when he told Nora what had happened she said there were plenty of other firms in the town who would employ him--when they had the work. He had done without Rushton before and could do so again; for her part--whatever the consequences might be--she was glad that he had acted as he did.

'We'll get through somehow, I suppose,' said Owen, wearily. 'There's not much chance of getting a job anywhere else just now, but I shall try to get some work on my own account. I shall do some samples of show-cards the same as I did last winter and try to get orders from some of the shops--they usually want something extra at this time, but I'm afraid it is rather too late: most of them already have all they want.'

'I shouldn't go out again today if I were you,' said Nora, noticing how ill he looked. 'You should stay at home and read, or write up those minutes.'

The minutes referred to were those of the last meeting of the local branch of the Painters' Society, of which Owen was the secretary, and as the snow continued to fall, he occupied himself after dinner in the manner his wife suggested, until four o'clock, when Frankie returned from school bringing with him a large s...o...b..ll, and crying out as a piece of good news that the snow was still falling heavily, and that he believed it was freezing!

They went to bed very early that night, for it was necessary to economize the coal, and not only that, but--because the rooms were so near the roof--it was not possible to keep the place warm no matter how much coal was used. The fire seemed, if anything, to make the place colder, for it caused the outer air to pour in through the joints of the ill-fitting doors and windows.

Owen lay awake for the greater part of the night. The terror of the future made rest or sleep impossible. He got up very early the next morning--long before it was light--and after lighting the fire, set about preparing the samples he had mentioned to Nora, but found that it would not be possible to do much in this direction without buying more cardboard, for most of what he had was not in good condition.

They had bread and b.u.t.ter and tea for breakfast. Frankie had his in bed and it was decided to keep him away from school until after dinner because the weather was so very cold and his only pair of boots were so saturated with moisture from having been out in the snow the previous day.

'I shall make a few inquiries to see if there's any other work to be had before I buy the cardboard,' said Owen, 'although I'm afraid it's not much use.'

Just as he was preparing to go out, the front door bell rang, and as he was going down to answer it he saw Bert White coming upstairs. The boy was carrying a flat, brown-paper parcel under his arm.

'A corfin plate,' he explained as he arrived at the door. 'Wanted at once--Misery ses you can do it at 'ome, an' I've got to wait for it.'

Owen and his wife looked at each other with intense relief. So he was not to be dismissed after all. It was almost too good to be true.