John Halifax, Gentleman
ing hand-in-hand, and no one to stay them. For between the upper and lower classes there was a great gulf fixed; the rich ground the faces of the poor, the poor hated, yet meanly succ
sonally, they touched me not, or, at least, only kept fluttering like evil birds outside the dear home-tabernac
. Jael complained in an under-key of stinted housekeeping, or boasted aloud of her own ingenuity in making ends meet: and my father's brow grew continually heavier, gra
y grain-Abel Fletcher having added to his tanning business the flour-mill hard by, whose lazy whirr was so familiar to John and me in our boyhood. But of these journeys my fa
walk in openly, honourably, proudly, he never would re-enter my father's doors. Twice only he had written to me-on my two birthdays-my father himself giving me
y, or gardener's boy; and being "cute," and a "scholard," was greatly patronized by Jael. I noticed, too, that the said Jem, whenever he came in my way, in house or garden, was the most capita
ften told me, when she came home from her afternoon walks. "It was piteous to see them," she s
n the last. But Jael, though she said nothing, often looked at the flour-mill and shook her head. And after one market-day-when she came in rather "flustered," saying there had been a mob outside the mill, until "that young
St. Mary's Lane, where, far away from her own kindred and people, my poor young mother had been laid,-on this one Sunday I began to see that things were going wrong. Abel Fletcher sat at dinner wearing the heavy, hard look
stretch of meadow, pasture, and harvest land. Noticing, too, more as a pretty bit in the landscape than as a fact of vita
woman-kind, was now numbered the lad Jem. That Abel Fletcher was not quite himself was proved by the fact th
"Woman, was it thee who c
dignified a
ad enough for absolute necessity. Our neighbours shall not say that Abel Fletcher has flour
a penny of thine. And for myself, do I not pity the poor? On First-day a
front like a pouter pigeon. Alas! its glory and starch were alike departed; it now appeared nothing but a heap of crumpled and yellowish musli
ried she angrily. "Preach not to othe
nted to her master's pate, where his long-worn powder was scarcely distinguishable from the
ver of wrath-"while the poor folk be starving in scores about Norton Bury, and the rich fo
er master as carefully as if she had not insulted him. In his fits of gout my father, unlike most men, became the quieter and easier to manage the more he su
e mill would make up for it. But if it will not it will not. Wou
the
that lad has advised and begged me to do these weeks past.
I asked, rather
well enough-
never let go one thread of hope which co
e I saw nothing but the waving of the trees and the birds hopping over the smooth grass; heard nothing but the soft chime, hour a
without sending a message home. So after some consideration as to whether I dared encroach upon his formal habits so much, and after much advice from Jael, who be
d mob. Even the stolid, starved patience of our Norton Bury poor had come to an end at
ism," but to get food for themselves, their wives, and children. God only knows what madness was in each individual heart of that concourse
d always abundance of small-pox and fevers to keep the poor down numerically. J
re is my
nd looked very much
ust go at once, a
y put on her cloak and hood. Of course,
ower down the river. I asked of a poor frightened bark-cutter if she knew where my father was? She thought he
had not been in the tan-yard for nearly three years. I di
He could not surely be so insane as to go to the mill-and John was
een the tan-pits. I went to the end of the yard, and
ere John and I had once sat as lads. He must now b
eagerly for any sounds abroad in the town;
ard. No, it was not my father's-it was firmer
ine
oh
nd proudly I looked up in his face-the still boyis
es in our joy, and then he let
is your
Gone for the sol
ver do that. I must go an
dear
, "not while your father forbi
it ought to act as a solemn warning to those who exact so much from the mere fact and name of parenthood, without having in any way fulfilled its duties, that orphans from birth
s listening-ay, listening-and to John Halifax! But whatever the argument was, it failed to move him. Greatly tro
r son and I only met ten minutes ago, and have scarcely exchanged a word. But we cannot waste time over that matter now. Phineas, help me to persuade you
ather, with a bitte
his property, and need not do what he
ken stick firmly, as firmly as his will, and taking h
arm-"Father
which nothing could afterwards alter one form, or erase one line-"My son, no opposition. Any who try that with me fail. If those fellows had waited two days more I would have sold
n held me back as I w
e he must. Please God, I'll take care
o brief for argument, so the discussion soon ended. He foll
s we went, in silence. When we reached the spot it was deserted; but further down th
whispered John; "we'll get in
let us into the mill by a small door-the only entrance, and that was
We stood there a good while-it was the safest place, having no windows. Then we followed my father to the top story, where he kept
could m
hn, "it was for his
l Fletcher counted his bags, worth almost as much as bags of gol
t might have routed them all-but my father's doctrine of non-resistance forbade. Small as their forc
e bags!-Us mu
thy corn, Ab
y father, leaning out of the upper window; while a sound, h
rly. "Thank you-thank you, Mr. Fletc
?" said my fathe
you-not to save your life
this bag," was
o great for John's young arm, ner
panes through-it matters not.
ll into the river. You cannot
o the window,
remained
frenzy with the pain-or else, I will still believe, my old father would not have done such a deed-his failing strength seemed doubled and t
was too late. A sharp substance in the river's bed had cut the bag, and we saw thrown up to the surface, and whirled down the Avon, thousands of dancing grains. A few of the men swam, or waded after them, clutc
, young man as he was, I had never yet heard irreverently and thoughtlessly on his lips. It
physical pain. The paroxysm of anger past, he, ever a just man, could not fail to
minute he listened in silence to the shou
Not a second to lose-they
t t
-and Phine
ther! He r
e all drawn and white with pain; but he did not speak
. The little door was on the Norton Bury side, and was hid from the opposite shore, where the rioters had now collected. In
my arm? we mu
ther, as John led
e you. Your life's not safe an hour-unle
negative. The stern old Quake
Come to my room. You will be secure there. U
t time in his life, he leaned upon, he submitted to be led whither we chose. So, after this long interval of time, I
No one saw us but Jem, and Jem's honour was safe as a rock. I knew
g his cloak round me-"you must both be very still. You will likely have to spend the night
dedly, yet respectfully, John spoke,
r in his old way-"you will take care of yourse
hear that tender accent, so familiar once. All was
-bye-I mu
d my father, r
l. No, don't hold me, Phineas. I run no risk: everybody knows me. Besides,
and I heard his step descending the staircase
ousetops, which met in the old angles, with the same blue peeps between. I half forgot all the day's events-it seemed but t
c into a cosy bed-chamber. One corner was full of shelves, laden with books, chiefly of a scientific and practical nature. John's taste did not lead him
od on the ledge of the roof, from which the field of view must have been satisfactory enough to the young astronomer. Other fragments of skilful handiwork, chiefly meant for machinery on a Lilliputian scale, were strewn
oticing that my father was awake, and that
self. "He has useful hands and a clear hea
d to open the window, we heard unusual and ominous sounds abroad in the town. I trembled inwar
d no questions-not even about his mill. From his look, sometimes, I fancied he yet beheld in fancy these starving men fighting over the precious food, destroyed so wilfully-nay, w
erved that "master was looking sprack a
upposed his mother
; and she sees 'un made comfortable. Not that
busy about
teach Charley and me a bit o' the Readamadeasy." (Reading-made-easy, I suppose, John's hopefu
eas," muttered my father, t
a whisper, if Jem had any idea w
about. He was going to stop all night, either at y
or in these times well we knew w
come back-that lad Halifax. There's a score of my men at hand-Wilkes,
shoes; but fell back, sick with exhaustion a
okenly, "thy old father is
r at the flicker of the long-wicked candle, which fear converted into the glare of some incendiary fire-doubtless our
night w