The Story of Antony Grace Part 30

"That was for me to know, Mr Hallett," cried the overseer, growing red in the face. "What the devil do you mean by--"

"Interfering, Mr Grimstone? I did it because I was sure you were too good a manager to wish time to be wasted in this large office. And--I must ask you, please when you speak to me, to omit these coa.r.s.e expressions."

"Of all the insolence--"

"Insolent or not, sir," said the dark man sternly, "have the goodness to remember that I always treat you with respect, and I expect the same from you. Excuse me, but a quarrel between us will not improve your position with the men."

Mr Grimstone looked at him furiously; and turning redder in the face than ever, seemed about to burst into a tirade of angry language, but my protector met his look in a way that quelled him, and turning upon the fat-headed boy, who was looking on open-mouthed, the overseer gave him a sounding box on the ear.

"What are you standing gaping there for, you lazy young scoundrel?" he roared; "go and wash those galleys, and do them well."

Then, striding off, he went into his gla.s.s case, while Jem Smith, in a compartment at the end of an avenue of cases, began to brush some long lengths of type, and whenever I glanced at him, he shook his fist, as he showed his inflamed eyes red with crying and his face blackened by contact with his dirty hands.

My protector, Mr Hallett, had left me at once, and I saw no more of him for some time, as I worked away, sorry at having been the innocent means of getting him into a quarrel. At last, just as I was very intent in puzzling out the difference between _p's_ and _q's_ I started, for the great lubberly boy came up close behind me.

"I'll give you a warming when you goes out to dinner, see if I don't,"

he whispered; but he shuffled off directly, as Mr Hallett came towards me, saw that I was busy, and after giving me a friendly nod, went back, leaving his calm, strangely stern face so impressed upon me, that I kept finding myself thinking of him, his eyes seeming to stare at me from out of every box.

But still I worked on, feeling each moment more and more sure of my way, and at last in a fit of enterprise I set to work and managed to find the letters forming my own name, and laid them side by side.

I felt no little nervous dread as dinner-time approached, for Jem Smith's warming was in waiting; but as one o'clock struck, Mr Hallett came up to me while the other men were hurrying off, and said kindly:

"Did that boy threaten you?"

"He--he said something, sir," I replied, hesitating.

"I thought so. He's gone now, so don't go out to dinner, my man. I can give you a little of mine. I'll speak to him before you go to-night."

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

MY FRIEND JEM SMITH MAKES ME AMBITIOUS.

I was receiving my first lessons in the fact that there is as much good-will as ill-will in the world--in other words, that there really is, as has been so poetically expressed, a silver lining to every cloud; and I gladly availed myself of Mr Hallett's kind offer, following him to his frame, as they called the skeleton desks that supported the cases, and there sitting down close by him to partake of some bread and meat which he brought out carefully wrapped in a clean white napkin.

"Don't be afraid, my boy," he said, "make a good meal; and I should advise you, for the present, to bring your dinner with you and eat it here. Better than going into the streets."

He then ate his own dinner quickly, and without taking the slightest notice of me beyond seeing once that I had a sufficiency of the bread and meat, but took out an oblong memorandum-book, and began busily drawing and making some calculation.

As he worked at this, I sat and had a good look at him, and could see that his large, ma.s.sive head was covered with crisp dark hair that was already slightly sprinkled with grey. From time to time he raised his eyes from his book to look up, as if diving into the distance, or trying to catch some idea that was wandering away from him, and at such moments his deeply set eyes had a curiously intense look about them, while his forehead was deeply marked with thoughtful lines.

I don't think he was more than thirty, but he looked, so to speak, vigorously old, or, rather, worn like some piece of steel that has been used hard, but has grown sharper and more elastic by that use. He was a tall, well-made man, but thin and spare, giving the idea of one who was ascetic in his habits and devoting himself to some particular end.

He did not speak to me again, and I was not sorry, for there was that in his face and ways that rather repelled than attracted, and I somehow felt that if he, in his quiet, firm way, were angry with me, I should be more alarmed than by the noisy bullying of Mr Grimstone, the overseer.

Two o'clock was signalled by the coming back of the compositors, who resumed their white ap.r.o.ns and rolled up their sleeves, when the sharp clicking noise went on as before. Mr Hallett, at the first entrance of one of his fellow-workmen, had shut his book with a snap, and thrust it into his breast, rolled up the napkin, and then, turning to me with a nod,--

"Two o'clock, my boy," he said. "Get on with your work."

As he spoke he resumed his own, and I went back to my case.

I had hardly been there ten seconds, and was diligently making sure which was the compartment containing the letter _u_, which had a terribly strong resemblance to the letter _n_, when Mr Grimstone suddenly pounced on me from round the end of the case. I say pounced, for it was so wonderfully like a cat coming upon a mouse. He seemed surprised and disappointed at finding me there, though I did not comprehend his looks then, and after staring hard for a moment or two, he went away.

The hours glided away, and I was so interested in what I was doing, that I hardly noticed the lapse of time, while, long before the afternoon was past, the work the men were engaged upon seemed so attractive that I felt impelled to imitate them by trying to pick up the letters forming various words, and then replacing them in the different boxes.

The first time it was rather difficult, but the second time I got on pretty well, and I was just beginning for the third time, when Mr Hallett came round my way and caught me in the act. I felt very guilty, but he seemed to approve, and walked away, to return directly with a little sliding steel thing, such as the men were using.

"Here's a stick, my boy; try and place the letters, nick uppermost, in that."

I took the stick, as he called it, and found that as fast as I placed a letter in, it seemed to do its best to jump out again; then one letter got upon another, or two or three appeared to quarrel and join in a regular squabble, so that their awkwardness and utter refusal to lie quietly side by side at last put me in a profuse perspiration.

I was busily fumbling about when Mr Grimstone, whose voice I had often heard scolding different men, came round, saw what I was doing, and s.n.a.t.c.hed the composing-stick away.

"Tchah! What waste of time! Come along here," he cried angrily, and I followed him to his gla.s.s office, where he sat down upon a worn stool.

"Now then," he said, sharply, "I've decided to give you a trial."

I remember thinking that he was very stupid to a.s.sume that he had full authority, when I knew that he had not, but, of course, I was silent.

"And now mind this, sir: I am overseer here, and what I say I will have done, I have done. You hear?"

"Yes, sir," I said.

"And now we understand one another."

Saying this, he bounced down from his stool again, and led me to the end of the large room and through a door into a dirty place with a great leaden sink, water, and brushes, and a pot containing some liquid.

Jem Smith was there, having just brought in a long narrow tray containing a column of type.

"Here, Smith, show this boy how to wash a galley; and see that he does it well."

Jem Smith grinned at me as soon as we were left alone, and I saw plainly enough that he meant to have some compensation for the box on the ear he had received; but I tried hard to contain myself, and meant to submit patiently to anything that might follow.

"Here, ketch hold o' that galley," he said sharply, "and look here, young man, don't you get trying to play the sneak here, and begin getting old Hallett to take your part. He's only a sneak, and everybody here hates him 'cause he won't take his beer. You keep away from him, or it'll be the worse for you. I've only got to tell the other boys, and they'll make it so warm for you as you'll wish as you'd never come here. Now, then, why don't you ketch hold o' that galley?"

"I don't know what a galley is," I said st.u.r.dily.

"Don't know what a galley is," he said, imitating my way of speaking; "you're a pretty sort of fellow to come and get work at a printing-office. There, ketch holt, stoopid: that's the galley; put it here, and you needn't be so precious frightened of getting your fingers black. There's the brush, dip it, and fetch all that ink off."

I took the brush, dipped it in the liquor in the pot, and on brus.h.i.+ng the surface of the type found that the strong solution easily brought off all the black ink; and I ended as instructed, by thoroughly rinsing the type and placing it to drain.

This done, I had to wash several more galleys, with the result that I was made tolerably black; and to make matters worse, my companion brought in a black roller of some soft material, and dabbed it against my cheek.

I plucked up my spirit and felt ready to strike out, but somehow I kept my anger down, and after was.h.i.+ng the roller in turn, I was allowed to dry my hands and clean my face, which Jem Smith persuaded me to do with the strong solution of potash, making it tingle smartly; and, but for the rapid application of pure water, I believe the skin would have been made sore.

This seemed to afford the young ruffian intense delight, and taking up the brush, he dipped it in the potash and tried to brush my hair.

I retreated from him as far as I could, but he got between me and the door, and with the malignant pleasure felt by some boys in persecuting those who are weaker than themselves, he caught me by the collar.