But that aint our way in town; ours is mostly cheap publication work, done in fancy cloth; and a country hand might well feel strange to see gals doing all the folding and stitching; one set of men at the glue-pot, another set trimming edges with a great carving-knife, another set rounding backs, another set cutting millboards, others making the fancy cloth covers, others lettering and gilding with a machine, and so on division of labour, you know when there the books are, stacks of them big stacks too; while if it wasnt for this scheming and working the oracle the binding would never be done.
Well, this young fellow was working aside me; and he was put on at the trimming which is the cutting the edges of new books to be bound in cloth; for if they were pressed too hard the ink would set off on to the opposite sides; while this being considered as only the first binding till they get thoroughly dry, only the front and bottom of the book is cut. You do the rest with your paper-knives. Well, were paid piecework fair money, you know so much a dozen
or score, so that a man has what he earns; and with my hands all corny and hard, I was letting go at a good rate, while my poor mate aside me was fresh at that work, and doing precious little good beyond blistering his hands and making his fingers sore; and I could see with half an eye as his bill would only be a small one o Saturday.
Now, the rule in most shops in London is, take care of yourself, and let others look out o their own side; but I never found myself any the worse off for helping a lame dog over a stile: so I kept on giving my mate a lift in the shape of a word here or there, so that he got on a little better, but very slowly; for a man cant fall into the knack of it all at once. But hed a good heart, and that will do it sorter stuff that makes men get on in the world and rise above their fellows; and he stuck at it till I saw him tear a strip off his handkerchief and bind it round his chafed finger, so that the blood shouldnt soil the books; and though he didnt say much, I could see by his looks as he thanked me.
Towards afternoon, while the foreman was out of the way, one of the men comes up for this new chaps footing; and being a big shop, where good wages were made, it was five shillings. I didnt take much notice, for it warnt my business; but I saw the young fellow colour up and hesitate, and stammer, as he says,
You must let me off till wages are paid; but my gentleman begins to bluster, and he says,
That comes o working aside Tom Hodson, a scaly humbug as never paid his own footings; but we aint a-going to stand any more o that sort o thing; and if you cant come the reglar, youll soon find the place too hot to hold you.
I felt as if I should have liked to give my man one for his nob, but went on with my work; and after a bit more rowing, they left the young chap alone; for I could see how the wind lay he hadnt got the money, and no wonder; but all that afternoon and next morning the chaps were pitching sneers and jeers about from one to another; about the workus, and a lot more of it, till, being quite a young chap, I could see more than once the tears in his eyes. Everybody cut him, and when he asked a civil question no one would answer; and after tea the second night, when I got back, there was a regular chorus of laughter, for the young chap was standing red and angry by his lot of books, where some one had been shying a lot o dirty water over them, so as would spoil perhaps four shillings worth of sheets, and get the poor chap into a row as well as having to pay for them.
Now, when we went to tea that night, Id on the quiet asked him how he stood, and lent him the money, thinking it would be better paid, for theyd always have had a spite against him else; and now seeing this I felt quite mad and spoke up:
Looks like one of that cowardly hound Bill Smiths tricks, I says; and Bill, being a great hairy, six-foot-two fellow, puts on the bully, and comes across the shop to me as if he was going to punch my head.
If you cant pay your footing, he says to me, dont think as were a-goin to take it in mouth; so just shut up, he says, and mind your own business; and then, afore I knew what was up, that slight little fellow with cheeks flaming, and eyes flashing, had got hold of Bill, big as he was, and with his fingers inside his handkerchief, shook away at him like a terrier does a rat shook him till his teeth chattered; and the great cowardly bounceable chap roared for mercy, and at last went down upon his knees, while, with his teeth set, that young fellow shook him till the whole shop roared again with laughter.
Give it him, little un, says one; Stick to him, young un, says another; while big Bill Smith looked as if he was being murdered, till the young chap sent him over against a plough-tub, where he knocked against a glue-kettle, and the half-warm stuff came trickling over his doughy white face, and he lay afraid to move.
Theres your beggarly footing, says the young chap, shying down two half-crowns on the big bench; and then, without another word, he walked to his place and tried to go on with his work.