Part 7 (1/2)
George gave their names, and the man looked at his time-book.
”Yes, it's all right; you are the new boys. You are to go into that planing-shop,” and he pointed to one of the doors opening into the yard.
The boys were not long before they were at work. Bill was ordered to take planks from a large pile and to hand them to a man, who pa.s.sed them under one of the planing-machines. George was told to take them away as fast as they were finished and pile them against a wall. When the machines stopped for any adjustment or alteration both were to sweep up the shavings and ram them into bags, in which they were carried to the engine-house.
For a time the boys were almost dazzled by the whirl of the machinery, the rapid motion of the numerous wheels and shafting overhead, and of the broad bands which carried the power from them to the machinery on the floor, by the storm of shavings which flew from the cutters, and the unceasing activity which prevailed around them. Beyond receiving an occasional order, shouted in a loud tone--for conversation in an ordinary voice would have been inaudible--nothing occurred till the bell rang at half-past eight for breakfast. Then the machinery suddenly stopped, and a strange hush succeeded the din which had prevailed.
”How long have we got now?” George asked the man from whose bench he had been taking the planks.
”Half an hour,” the man said as he hurried away.
”Well, what do you think of it, Bill?” George asked when they had got outside.
”Didn't think as there could be such a row,” Bill replied. ”Why, talk about the Garden! Lor', why it aint nothing to it. I hardly knew what I was a-doing at first.”
”No more did I, Bill. You must mind what you do and not touch any of those straps and wheels and things. I know when I was at Croydon there was a man killed in a sawmill there by being caught in the strap; they said it drew him up and smashed him against the ceiling. And now we had better look out for a baker's.”
”I suppose there aint a coffee-stall nowhere handy?”
”I don't suppose there is, Bill; at any rate we have no time to spare to look for one. There's a pump in the yard, so we can have a drink of water as we come back. Well, the work doesn't seem very hard, Bill,”
George said as they ate their bread.
”No, it aint hard,” Bill admitted, ”if it weren't for all them rattling wheels. But I expect it aint going to be like that regular.
They've just gived us an easy job to begin with. Yer'll see it will be worse presently.”
”We shall soon get accustomed to the noise, Bill, and I don't think we shall find the work any harder. They don't put boys at hard work, but just jobs like we are doing, to help the men.”
”What shall we do about night, George?”
”I think that at dinner-time we had better ask the man we work for. He looks a good-natured sort of chap. He may know of someone he could recommend us to.”
They worked steadily till dinner-time; then as they came out George said to the man with whom they were working:
”We want to get a room. We have been lodging together in London, and don't know anyone down here. I thought perhaps you could tell us of some quiet, respectable people who have a room to let?”
The man looked at George more closely than he had hitherto done.
”Well, there aint many people as would care about taking in two boys, but you seem a well-spoken young chap and different to most of 'em. Do you think you could keep regular hours, and not come clattering in and out fifty times in the evening, and playing tom-fools' tricks of all sorts?”
”I don't think we should be troublesome,” George said; ”and I am quite sure we shouldn't be noisy.”
”You would want to be cooked for, in course?”
”No, I don't think so,” George said. ”Beyond hot water for a cup of tea in the evening, we should not want much cooking done, especially if there is a coffee-stall anywhere where we could get a cup in the morning.”
”You haven't got any traps, I suppose?”
George looked puzzled.