Part 6 (2/2)

You will have to pay; but don't mind that. Cheetham will go halves.”

”I'll go at dinner-time.”

”And why not now?”

”Because,” said Henry, with a candor all his own, ”I'm getting over my fright a bit, and my blood is beginning to boil at being threatened by a sneak, who wouldn't stand before me one moment in that yard, knife or no knife.”

Bayne smiled a friendly but faint smile, and shook his head with grave disapprobation, and said, with wonder, ”Fancy postponing Peace!”

Henry went to his forge and worked till dinner-time. Nay, more, was a beautiful whistler, and always whistled a little at his work: so to-day he whistled a great deal: in fact, he over-whistled.

At dinner-time he washed his face and hands and put on his coat to go out.

But he had soon some reason to regret that he had not acted on Bayne's advice to the letter. There had been a large trade's meeting overnight, and the hostility to the London craftsman had spread more widely, in consequence of remarks that had been there made. This emboldened the lower cla.s.s of workmen, who already disliked him out of pure envy, and had often scowled at him in silence; and, now, as he pa.s.sed them, they spoke at him, in their peculiar language, which the great friend and supporter of mechanics in general, The Hillsborough Liberal, subsequently christened ”THE DASH DIALECT.”

”We want no ---- c.o.c.kneys here, to steal our work.”

”Did ever a ---- anvil-man handle his own blades in Hillsborough?”

”Not till this ---- k.n.o.bstick came,” said another.

Henry turned sharp round upon them haughtily, and such was the power of his prompt defiant att.i.tude, and his eye, which flashed black lightning, that there was a slight movement of recoil among the actual speakers.

They recovered it immediately, strong in numbers; but in that same moment Little also recovered his discretion, and he had the address to step briskly toward the gate and call out the porter; he said to him in rather a loud voice, for all to hear, ”if anybody asks for Henry Little, say he has gone to the Secretary of the Edge-Tool Forgers' Union.” He then went out of the works; but, as he went, he heard some respectable workman say to the sc.u.m, ”Come, shut up now. It is in better hands than yours.”

Mr. Jobson, the Secretary of the Edge-Tool Forgers, was not at home, but his servant-girl advised Little to try the ”Rising Sun;” and in the parlor of that orb he found Mr. Jobson, in company with other magnates of the same cla.s.s, discussing a powerful leader of The Hillsborough Liberal, in which was advocated the extension of the franchise, a measure calculated to throw prodigious power into the hands of Hillsborough operatives, because of their great number, and their habit of living each workman in a tenement of his own, however small.

Little waited till The Liberal had received its meed of approbation, and then asked respectfully if he might speak to Mr. Jobson on a trade matter. ”Certainly,” said Mr. Jobson. ”Who are you?”

”My name is Little. I make the carving-tools at Cheetham's.”

”I'll go home with you; my house is hard by.”

When they got to the house, Jobson told him to sit down, and asked him, in a smooth and well-modulated voice, what was the nature of the business. This query, coming from him, who had set the stone rolling that bade fair to crush him, rather surprised Henry. He put his hand into his pocket, and produced the threatening note, but said nothing as to the time or manner of its arrival.

Mr. Jobson perused it carefully, and then returned it to Henry. ”What have we to do with this?” and he looked quite puzzled.

”Why, sir, it is the act of your Union.”

”You are sadly misinformed, Mr. Little. WE NEVER THREATEN. All we do is to remind the master that, if he does not do certain things, certain other things will probably be done by us; and this we wrap up in the kindest way.”

”But, sir, you wrote to Cheetham against me.”

”Did we? Then it will be in my letter-book.” He took down a book, examined it, and said, ”You are quite right. Here's a copy of the letter. Now surely, sir, comparing the language, the manners, and the spelling, with that of the ruffian whose scrawl you received this morning--”

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