第63章

True Freedom About three o'clock that afternoon, Rushton suddenly appeared and began walking silently about the house, and listening outside the doors of rooms where the hands were working.He did not succeed in catching anyone idling or smoking or talking.The nearest approach to what the men called `a capture' that he made was, as he stood outside the door of one of the upper rooms in which Philpot and Harlow were working, he heard them singing one of Sankey's hymns - `Work! for the night is coming'.He listened to two verses and several repetitions of the chorus.Being a `Christian', he could scarcely object to this, especially as by peeping through the partly open door he could see that they were suiting the action to the word.When he went into the room they glanced around to see who it was, and stopped singing.

Rushton did not speak, but stood in the middle of the floor, silently watching them as they worked, for about a quarter of an hour.Then, without having uttered a syllable, he turned and went out.

They heard him softly descend the stairs, and Harlow, turning to Philpot said in a hoarse whisper:

`What do you think of the b--r, standing there watchin' us like that, as if we was a couple of bloody convicts? If it wasn't that I've got someone else beside myself to think of, I would 'ave sloshed the bloody sod in the mouth with this pound brush!'

`Yes; it does make yer feel like that, mate,' replied Philpot, `but of course we mustn't give way to it.'

`Several times,' continued Harlow, who was livid with anger, `I was on the point of turnin' round and sayin' to 'im, "What the bloody 'ell do you mean by standin' there and watchin' me, you bloody, psalm-singin'

swine?" It took me all my time to keep it in, I can tell you.'

Meanwhile, Rushton was still going about the house, occasionally standing and watching the other men in the same manner as he had watched Philpot and Harlow.

None of the men looked round from their work or spoke either to Rushton or to each other.The only sounds heard were the noises made by the saws and hammers of the carpenters who were fixing the frieze rails and dado rails or repairing parts of the woodwork in some of the rooms.

Crass placed himself in Rushton's way several times with the hope of being spoken to, but beyond curtly acknowledging the `foreman's'

servile `Good hafternoon, sir,' the master took no notice of him.

After about an hour spent in this manner Rushton went away, but as no one say him go, it was not until some considerable time after his departure that they knew that he was gone.

Owen was secretly very disappointed.`I thought he had come to tell me about the drawing-room,' he said to himself, `but I suppose it's not decided yet.'

Just as the `hands' were beginning to breathe freely again, Misery arrived, carrying some rolled-up papers in his hand.He also flitted silently from one room to another, peering round corners and listening at doors in the hope of seeing or hearing something which would give him an excuse for making an example of someone.Disappointed in this, he presently crawled upstairs to the room where Owen was working and, handing to him the roll of papers he had been carrying, said:

`Mr Sweater had decided to 'ave this work done, so you can start on it as soon as you like.'

It is impossible to describe, without appearing to exaggerate, the emotions experienced by Owen as he heard this announcement.For one thing it meant that the work at this house would last longer than it would otherwise have done; and it also meant that he would be paid for the extra time he had spent on the drawings, besides having his wages increased - for he was always paid an extra penny an hour when engaged on special work, such as graining or sign-writing or work of the present kind.But these considerations did not occur to him at the moment at all, for to him it meant much more.Since his first conversation on the subject with Rushton he had though of little else than this work.

In a sense he had been DOING it ever since.He had thought and planned and altered the details of the work repeatedly.The colours for the different parts had been selected and rejected and re-selected over and over again.A keen desire to do the work had grown within him, but he had scarcely allowed himself to hope that it would be done at all.His face flushed slightly as he took the drawings from Hunter.

`You can make a start on it tomorrow morning,' continued that gentleman.`I'll tell Crass to send someone else up 'ere to finish this room.'

`I shan't be able to commence tomorrow, because the ceiling and walls will have to be painted first.'

`Yes: I know.You and Easton can do that.One coat tomorrow, another on Friday and the third on Saturday - that is, unless you can make it do with two coats.Even if it has to be the three, you will be able to go on with your decoratin' on Monday.'

`I won't be able to start on Monday, because I shall have to make some working drawings first.'

`Workin' drorins!' ejaculated Misery with a puzzled expression.`Wot workin' drorins? You've got them, ain't yer?' pointing to the roll of papers.

`Yes: but as the same ornaments are repeated several times, I shall have to make a number of full-sized drawings, with perforated outlines, to transfer the design to the walls,' said Owen, and he proceeded to laboriously explain the processes.

Nimrod looked at him suspiciously.`Is all that really necessary?' he asked.`Couldn't you just copy it on the wall, free-hand?'

`No; that wouldn't do.It would take much longer that way.'

This consideration appealed to Misery.

`Ah, well,' he sighed.`I s'pose you'll 'ave to do it the way you said; but for goodness sake don't spend too much time over it, because we've took it very cheap.We only took it on so as you could 'ave a job, not that we expect to make any profit out of it.'

`And I shall have to cut some stencils, so I shall need several sheets of cartridge paper.'