9.4 Siàu-liân-á kan-ta boeh ài ū-chîⁿ
"Oh, bô! Seng-lí nā hó, tō bē ū hûi-hiám. M̄-koh, tāi-chì nā kú-kú bē hó-sè, hiah-ê siàu-liân-á tō khó-lêng ē khí-kông. Góa kā lí kóng, in lóng chū-su, sēng pháiⁿ. M̄-koh, góa khòaⁿ, in mā pìⁿ bô siáⁿ-mih máng. In tùi siáⁿ lóng bē jīn-chin, kan-ta ē-hiáu khiâ otobái hong-sîn, a̍h sī khì Sheffield ê Palais-de-danse bú-thiaⁿ thiàu-bú. Lí bô hoat-tō͘ hō͘ in chèng-keng khí-lâi. Khah chèng-keng ê siàu-liân chhēng àm-lé-ho̍k khì Pally bú-thiaⁿ, tī tōa tīn cha-bó͘ bīn-chêng hong-sî, koh thiàu Chaleston hit khoán sin bú. Góa chai, ū sî básuh chài móa-móa chhēng àm-lé-ho̍k ê siàu-liân, thòaⁿ-kang ê gín-á, khì Pally: koh-khah bián-kóng hiah-ê ka-tī chài cha-bó͘ sái-chhia a̍h-sī khiâ otobái khì ê. In tùi siáⁿ to bô jīn-chin... kan-ta chhù-bī Doncaster ê cháu-bé kap Derby ê pí-sài: in-ūi in ta̍k tiûⁿ lóng boeh poa̍h. Iáu ū kha-kiû! M̄-koh kha-kiû mā kap í-chêng bô kāng lah, kin-pún to bô. In kóng, sńg he siuⁿ thiám. Só͘-í, in lêng-khó tī pái-la̍k ē-tàu khiâ otobái khì Sheffield a̍h Nottingham."
"Khì kàu hia, in lóng tī hia chhòng siáⁿ?"
"Oh, sì-kè sô... khì ko-kip tê-pâng lim-tê, chhiuⁿ Mikado,... a̍h sī khì Pally, a̍h sī chhōa cha-bó͘ khì khòaⁿ tiān-iáⁿ, chhiūⁿ Empire. Cha-bó͘ kap cha-po͘ gín-á lòng sì-kè sô. In kan-ta chò in kah-ì ê tāi-chì."
"In nā bô chîⁿ thang khai ê sî, in ē án-chóaⁿ?"
"In ká-ná lóng chóng-sī ū chîⁿ. Nā bô chîⁿ tō kóng-ōe koài-koài. M̄-koh, góa khòaⁿ, in ná ū khó-lêng chiap-siū bolshevik chú-gī, in-ūi chiah-ê siàu-liân só͘ kah-ì ê kan-ta sī boeh ài ū chîⁿ thang ka-tī hiáng-siū, cha-bó͘ mā kāng-khoán, ài súi saⁿ: kî-thaⁿ ê in lóng bô chhù-bī. In bô chò-ûi siā-hōe chú-gī-chiá ê thâu-náu. In tùi só͘-ū chèng-keng ê mi̍h-kiāⁿ lóng bē jīn-chin, éng-oán to bē jīn-chin."
Connie sim siūⁿ, kē kai-kip ê lâng thiaⁿ khí-lâi kap kî-thaⁿ ê kai-kip ke̍k kāng. Ta̍k-hāng lóng kăng-kāng, m̄-koán sī Tevershall a̍h Mayfair a̍h Kensington. Kàu taⁿ, kan-ta ū chi̍t ê kai-kip: ài-chîⁿ gín-á. Ái-chîⁿ ê cha-po͘ kap ài-chîⁿ ê cha-bó͘, ûi-it ê chha-pia̍t sī lí ū gōa-chē, kap lí ài-boeh gōa-chē.
Siū tio̍h Bolton Tt ê éng-hióng, Clifford khai-sí tùi khòng-tiûⁿ ū sin ê chhù-bī. I khai-sí kám-kak che sī i ê tāi-chì, sán-seng chi̍t chióng sin ê chū-ngó͘ khéng-tēng. Chóng-kóng, tī Tevershall, i chiah sī láu-pán, thòaⁿ-khang sī i ê. Che sī chi̍t chióng khôan-ui ê kám-kak, chū-lâi i it-ti̍t kiu-kiu m̄-káⁿ siūⁿ.
Tevershall ê thòaⁿ-khang piàn sè ah. Kan-ta ū nn̄g ê khòng-tiûⁿ: Tevershall kap New London. Tevershall í-chêng sī ū-miâ ê khòng-tiûⁿ, thàn chin chē tōa chîⁿ. M̄-koh siōng hó ê ji̍t-chí í-keng kòe ah. New London m̄-bat hó-khang kòe, pêng-sî chí-sī ē-tit kòe. M̄-koh taⁿ sî-ki bái, chhiūⁿ New London chit-chióng thòaⁿ-khang lâng tō kā pàng-tiāu.
"Chin chē Tevershall ê thòaⁿ-kang lī-khui, khì Stacks Gate kap Whiteover," Bolton Tt kóng. "Lí bô khòaⁿ kòe Stacks Gate tī chiàn-āu chiah khui ê sin kang-tiûⁿ hoⁿh, Clifford Sià? Oh, chi̍t kang lí tio̍h khì, in lóng chiâⁿ sin: tōa keng hòa-ha̍k kang-chhiáng khí tī thòaⁿ-khang thâu-téng, khòaⁿ khí-lâi chi̍t tiám-á to bô sêng thòaⁿ-khang. In kóng, ùi hòa-ha̍k-phín thàn pí thô͘-thòaⁿ khah chē -- góa bē-kì-tit he hòa-ha̍k-phín sī siáⁿ. Iáu ū, kang-lâng ê sok-siā ná chhiūⁿ pia̍t-chong! Tong-jiân choân-kok ê lô-hàn-kha lóng sio-cheⁿ lâi ah. M̄-koh, Tevershall ê kang-lâng mā cháu khì hia, chò liáu bē-bái, pí lán chia ê kang-lâng koh-khah hó. In kóng, Tevershall í-keng soah ah, kiat-sok ah: koh chhun bô kúi nî, tio̍h ài koaiⁿ-mn̂g. Iah New London ē tāi-seng koaiⁿ. Láu-si̍t kóng, nā bô Tevershall thòaⁿ-khang, he tō ē bô hó-sńg. Nā ū pā-kang tō chin hāi ah, m̄-koh góa siūⁿ, nā koaiⁿ-mn̂g, tō ná chhiūⁿ sè-kài boa̍t-ji̍t ah. Góa sè-hàn sî, i sī choân-kok siōng hó ê thòaⁿ-khang, lâi chia chia̍h-thâu-lō͘ ê lâng lóng kám-kak chin hó-ūn. Oh, Tevershall bat thàn kòe chi̍t kóa chîⁿ. Iah taⁿ kang-lâng kóng chia sī teh tiâm ê chûn, í-leng kàu tio̍h lī-khui ê sî-chūn ah. Che kám m̄-sī chin khó-phà! M̄-koh, tong-jiân mā ū chin chē bô kàu put-tek-í bē lī-khui. In bô kah-ì hiah-ê sin-hêng ê khòng-tiûⁿ, ó͘ chhim-chhim, lóng iōng ki-khì chhau-chok. Ū ê lâng kiaⁿ hiah-ê thih-lâng, in án-ne chheng-ho͘ kòng thô͘-thòaⁿ ê ki-khì, che í-chêng lóng sī lâng teh chò. In mā kóng, che chin lōng-hùi. M̄-koh lōng-hùi ē-tàng ùi sin-súi séng lo̍h-lâi, án-ne iáu chhun chē-chē. Khòaⁿ khí-lâi, koh bô gōa kú, tē-bīn tō m̄-bián lâng lo̍h, ē-sái lóng iōng ki-khì. M̄-koh, in mā kóng, chá-kî pàng-tiāu lāu-sek chit-bōe-ki ê sî, ta̍k-ê mā-sī án-ne kóng. Góa ē-kì-tit chi̍t nn̄g tâi hit khoán lâng-kang ê ki-khì. Kóng si̍t-chāi, ki-khì lú chē, lâng mā lú chē, khòaⁿ khí-lâi sī án-ne! In kóng, lí tī Tevershall ê thô͘-thòaⁿ bē-tàng tit-tio̍h Stacks Gate tit-tio̍h ê hòa-ha̍k-phín, che chiâⁿ hó-sńg, chit nn̄g ūi sio-chha bô saⁿ mai. M̄-koh in án-ne kóng. M̄-koh ta̍k-ê lóng kóng, chin bô-chhái, ná bē-tàng kái-siān kang-lâng ê seng-oa̍h, koh chhiàⁿ-iōng cha-bó͘ kang. Hiah-ê cha-bó͘ ta̍k-kang cháu khì Sheffield se̍h-ke! Kóng si̍t-chāi, ta̍k-ê lóng kóng in kiat-sok ah, chia sī teh tiâm ê chûn, tio̍h ná niáu-chhí kín lī-khui teh tiâm ê chûn, m̄-koh Tevershall thòaⁿ-kang nā ē-tàng ū sin ê seng-oa̍h, tāi-chì tō lóng bô kāng ah. Ta̍k-ê lóng kóng, tī chiàn-cheng ê sî, chia ê seng-lí chin hó. Hit sî, Geoffrey Sià kā châi-sán kià-thok, hō͘ kim-chîⁿ eng-kiú an-choân lâu lo̍h-khì. Lâng sī án-ne kóng! M̄-koh, in koh kóng, taⁿ chú-lâng kap thâu-ke lóng tit bē tio̍h siáⁿ chîⁿ. Lí mā bē siong-sìn, kám m̄-sī! Góa chóng-sī jīn-ûi thòaⁿ-khang tio̍h kè-sio̍k, m̄-thang tn̄g. Góa sè-hàn ê sî, siáng ē siūⁿ tio̍h che! M̄-koh New England koaiⁿ-mn̂g ah, Colwick Wood mā sī: sī ah, kiâⁿ kòe sió chhiū-nâ khòaⁿ tio̍h Colwick Wood khòng-tiûⁿ hong-hùi tī chhiū-châng tiong-kan, thòaⁿ-khang hoat kah choân cha̍p-chháu, thih-ki-lō͘ seⁿ âng sian, che hō͘ lâng bô hoat-tō͘ pàng bē-kì. I tō ná sí-bông pún-sin, sí-khì ê khòng-tiûⁿ. Ai-ah, Tevershall nā koaiⁿ-mn̂g, lán boeh án-chóaⁿ hó...? He chin bô hoat-tō͘ siūⁿ. Tî liáu pā-kang, chóng-sī lâng chē-chē, pā-kang ê sî, tî-hui chîⁿ í-keng kàu chhiú, kó͘-hong-ki mā m̄-bat thêng. Góa siūⁿ, sè-kài chiâⁿ hó-sńg, lán lóng m̄-chai sî-tāi ē án-chóaⁿ piàn, chèng-keng m̄-chai."
Bolton Tt ê chiah-ê ōe hō͘ Clifford ū sin ê ì-chì. Tō ná yi kóng ê, i ê siu-ji̍p ū pó-chiong, sī ùi in lāu-pē ê sìn-thok lâi ê, sui-jiân bô chē. I só͘ chin-chiàⁿ koan-sim ê mā m̄-sī thòaⁿ-khang. I siūⁿ boeh lia̍h tio̍h ê sī lēng-gōa chi̍t ê sè-kài, sī bûn-ha̍k kap miâ-siaⁿ ê sè-kài; m̄-sī lô-tōng ê sè-kài.
Taⁿ, i bêng-pe̍k chhut-miâ ê sêng-kong kap lô-tōng ê sêng-kong án-chóaⁿ bô-kāng: hiáng-lo̍k ê kûn-chiòng kap lô-tōng ê kûn-chiòng. I kò-jîn it-ti̍t teh thê-kiong sió-soat hō͘ hiáng-lo̍k ê kûn-chiòng. I í-keng chhut-miâ lah. M̄-koh, tī hiáng-lo̍k ê kûn-chiòng ē-bīn, ū lô-tōng ê kûn-chiòng, a-cha, ak-chak, koh khióng-pò͘. In mā ū in ê su-iàu, tio̍h ū lâng thê-kiong. M̄-koh thê-kiong hō͘ lô-tōng kûn-chiòng chit ê sū-gia̍p pí hō͘ hiáng-lo̍k kûn-chiòng ke chin àm-sàm. Tng i teh siá sió-soat, tī sè-kài siōng tng teh "khí-pōng" ê sî, Tevershall soah tng teh pōng-piah.
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9.4 少年仔干焦欲愛有錢
"Oh, 無! 生理若好, tō 袂有危險. M̄-koh, 代誌若久久袂好勢, hiah-ê 少年仔 tō 可能會起狂. 我 kā 你講, in 攏自私, 倖歹. M̄-koh, 我看, in mā pìⁿ 無啥物蠓. In 對啥攏袂認真, 干焦會曉騎 otobái 風神, 抑是去 Sheffield ê Palais-de-danse 舞廳跳舞. 你無法度予 in 正經起來. 較正經 ê 少年穿晚禮服去 Pally 舞廳, tī 大陣查某面前風神, koh 跳 Chaleston 彼款新舞. 我知, 有時 básuh 載滿滿穿晚禮服 ê 少年, 炭工 ê 囡仔, 去 Pally: koh 較免講 hiah-ê 家己載查某駛車抑是騎 otobái 去 ê. In 對啥都無認真... 干焦趣味 Doncaster ê 走馬 kap Derby ê 比賽: 因為 in 逐場攏欲跋. 猶有跤球! M̄-koh 跤球 mā kap 以前無仝 lah, 根本都無. In 講, 耍彼 siuⁿ 忝. 所以, in 寧可 tī 拜六下晝騎 otobái 去 Sheffield 抑 Nottingham."
"去到遐, in 攏 tī 遐創啥?"
"Oh, 四界趖... 去高級茶房啉茶, 像 Mikado,... 抑是去 Pally, 抑是 chhōa 查某去看電影, 像 Empire. 查某 kap 查埔囡仔攏四界趖. In 干焦做 in 佮意 ê 代誌."
"In 若無錢通開 ê 時, in 會按怎?"
"In ká-ná 攏總是有錢. 若無錢 tō 講話怪怪. M̄-koh, 我看, in ná 有可能接受 bolshevik 主義, 因為 chiah-ê 少年所佮意 ê 干焦是欲愛有錢通家己享受, 查某 mā 仝款, 愛媠衫: 其他 ê in 攏無趣味. In 無做為社會主義者 ê 頭腦. In 對所有正經 ê 物件攏袂認真, 永遠都袂認真."
Connie 心想, 低階級 ê 人聽起來 kap 其他 ê 階級極仝. 逐項攏仝仝, 毋管是 Tevershall 抑 Mayfair 抑 Kensington. 到今, 干焦有一个階級: 愛錢囡仔. 愛錢 ê 查埔 kap 愛錢 ê 查某, 唯一 ê 差別是你有偌濟, kap 你愛欲偌濟.
受著 Bolton Tt ê 影響, Clifford 開始對礦場有新 ê 趣味. 伊開始感䁷這是伊 ê 代誌, 產生一種新 ê 自我肯定. 總講, tī Tevershall, 伊才是老板, 炭空是伊 ê. 這是一種權威 ê 感覺, 自來伊一直勼勼毋敢想.
Tevershall ê 炭空變細 ah. 干焦有兩个礦場: Tevershall kap New London. Tevershall 以前是有名 ê 礦場, 趁真濟大錢. M̄-koh 上好 ê 日子已經過 ah. New London m̄-bat 好空過, 平時只是會得過. M̄-koh 今時機䆀, 像 New London 這種炭空人 tō kā 放掉.
"真濟 Tevershall ê 炭工離開, 去 Stacks Gate kap Whiteover," Bolton Tt 講. "你無看過 Stacks Gate tī 戰後才開 ê 新工場 hoⁿh, Clifford Sià? Oh, 一工你著去, in 攏誠新: 大間化學工廠起 tī 炭空頭前, 看起來一點仔都無成炭空. In 講, ùi 化學品趁比塗炭較濟 -- 我袂記得彼化學品是啥. 猶有, 工人 ê 宿舍 ná 像別莊! 當然全國 ê 羅漢跤攏相爭來 ah. M̄-koh, Tevershall ê 工人 mā 走去遐, 做了袂䆀, 比咱遮 ê 工人 koh 較好. In 講, Tevershall 已經煞 ah, 結束 ah: koh 賰無幾年, 著愛關門. Iah New London 會代先關. 老實講, 若無 Tevershall 礦空, 彼 tō 會無好耍. 若有霸工 tō 真害 ah, m̄-koh 我想, 若關門, tō ná 像世界末日 ah. 我細漢時, 伊是全國上好 ê 炭空, 來遮食頭路 ê 人攏感覺真好運. Oh, Tevershall bat 趁過一寡錢. Iah 今工人講遮是 teh 沉 ê 船, 已經到著離開 ê 時陣 ah. 這敢毋是真可怕! M̄-koh, 當然 mā 有真濟無到不得已袂離開. In 無佮意 hiah-ê 新型 ê 礦場, 挖深深, 攏用機器操作. 有 ê 人驚 hiah-ê 鐵人, in án-ne 稱呼摃塗炭 ê 機器, 這以前攏是人 teh 做. In mā 講, 這真浪費. M̄-koh 浪費 ē-tàng ùi 薪水省落來, án-ne 猶賰濟濟. 看起來, koh 無偌久, 地面 tō 毋免人 loh, 會使攏用機器. M̄-koh, in mā 講, 早期放掉老式織襪機 ê 時, 逐个 mā 是 án-ne 講. 我會記得一兩台彼款人工 ê 機器. 講實在, 機器 lú 濟, 人 mā lú 濟, 看起來是 án-ne! In 講, Tevershall ê 塗炭 bē-tàng 得著 Stacks Gate 得著 ê 化學品, 這誠好耍, 這兩位相差無三 mai. M̄-koh in án-ne 講. M̄-koh 逐个攏講, 真無彩, ná bē-tàng 改善工人 ê 生活, koh 採用查某工. Hiah-ê 查某逐工走去 Sheffield 踅街! 講實在, 逐个攏講 in 結束 ah, 遮是 teh 沉 ê 船, 著 ná niáu 鼠緊離開 teh 沉 ê 船, m̄-koh Tevershall 炭工若 ē-tàng 有新 ê 生活, 代誌 tō 攏無仝 ah. 逐个攏講, tī 戰爭 ê 時, 遮 ê 生理真好. 彼時, Geoffrey Sià kā 財產寄託, 予金錢永久安全留落去. 人是 án-ne 講! M̄-koh, in koh 講, 今主人 kap 頭家攏得袂著啥錢. 你 mā 袂相信, 敢毋是! 我總是認為炭空著繼續, 毋通斷. 我細漢 ê 時, siáng 會想著這! M̄-koh New England 關門 ah, Colwick Wood mā 是: 是 ah, 行過小樹林看著 Colwick Wood 礦場荒廢 tī 樹叢中間, 炭空發 kah 全雜草, 鐵支路生紅鉎, 這予人無法度放袂記. 伊 tō ná 死亡本身, 死去 ê 礦場. Tevershall 若關門, 咱欲按怎好...? 彼真無法度想. 除了霸工, 總是人濟濟, 霸工 ê 時, 除非錢已經到手, 鼓風機 mā m̄-bat 停. 我想, 世界誠好耍, 咱攏毋知時代會按怎變, 正經毋知."
Bolton Tt ê chiah-ê 話予 Clifford 有新 ê 意志. Tō ná 她講 ê, 伊 ê 收入有保障, 是 ùi in 老爸 ê 信託來 ê, 雖然無濟. 伊所真正關心 ê mā 毋是炭空. 伊想欲掠著 ê 是另外一个世界, 是文學 kap 名聲 ê 世界 ; 毋是勞動 ê 世界.
今, 伊明白出名 ê 成功 kap 勞動 ê 成功按怎無仝: 享樂 ê 群眾 kap 勞動 ê 群眾. 伊個人一直 teh 提供小說予享樂 ê 群眾. 伊已經出名 lah. M̄-koh, tī 享樂 ê 群眾下面, 有勞動 ê 群眾, a-cha, ak-chak, koh 恐怖. In mā 有 in ê 需要, 著有人提供. M̄-koh 提供予勞動群眾這个事業比予享樂群眾加真暗毿. 當伊 teh 寫小說, tī 世界上當 teh "起磅" ê 時, Tevershall 煞當 teh 碰壁.
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9.4
’Oh no! Not if trade was good, there wouldn’t be. But if things were bad for a long spell, the young ones might go funny. I tell you, they’re a selfish, spoilt lot. But I don’t see how they’d ever do anything. They aren’t ever serious about anything, except showing off on motor-bikes and dancing at the Palais-de-danse in Sheffield. You can’t MAKE them serious. The serious ones dress up in evening clothes and go off to the Pally to show off before a lot of girls and dance these new Charlestons and what not. I’m sure sometimes the bus’ll be full of young fellows in evening suits, collier lads, off to the Pally: let alone those that have gone with their girls in motors or on motor-bikes. They don’t give a serious thought to a thing—save Doncaster races, and the Derby: for they all of them bet on every race. And football! But even football’s not what it was, not by a long chalk. It’s too much like hard work, they say. No, they’d rather be off on motor-bikes to Sheffield or Nottingham, Saturday afternoons.’
’But what do they do when they get there?’
’Oh, hang around—and have tea in some fine tea-place like the Mikado—and go to the Pally or the pictures or the Empire, with some girl. The girls are as free as the lads. They do just what they like.’
’And what do they do when they haven’t the money for these things?’
’They seem to get it, somehow. And they begin talking nasty then. But I don’t see how you’re going to get bolshevism, when all the lads want is just money to enjoy themselves, and the girls the same, with fine clothes: and they don’t care about another thing. They haven’t the brains to be socialists. They haven’t enough seriousness to take anything really serious, and they never will have.’
Connie thought, how extremely like all the rest of the classes the lower classes sounded. Just the same thing over again, Tevershall or Mayfair or Kensington. There was only one class nowadays: moneyboys. The moneyboy and the moneygirl, the only difference was how much you’d got, and how much you wanted.
Under Mrs Bolton’s influence, Clifford began to take a new interest in the mines. He began to feel he belonged. A new sort of self-assertion came into him. After all, he was the real boss in Tevershall, he was really the pits. It was a new sense of power, something he had till now shrunk from with dread.
Tevershall pits were running thin. There were only two collieries: Tevershall itself, and New London. Tevershall had once been a famous mine, and had made famous money. But its best days were over. New London was never very rich, and in ordinary times just got along decently. But now times were bad, and it was pits like New London that got left.
’There’s a lot of Tevershall men left and gone to Stacks Gate and Whiteover,’ said Mrs Bolton. ‘You’ve not seen the new works at Stacks Gate, opened after the war, have you, Sir Clifford? Oh, you must go one day, they’re something quite new: great big chemical works at the pit-head, doesn’t look a bit like a colliery. They say they get more money out of the chemical by-products than out of the coal—I forget what it is. And the grand new houses for the men, fair mansions! of course it’s brought a lot of riff-raff from all over the country. But a lot of Tevershall men got on there, and doin’ well, a lot better than our own men. They say Tevershall’s done, finished: only a question of a few more years, and it’ll have to shut down. And New London’ll go first. My word, won’t it be funny when there’s no Tevershall pit working. It’s bad enough during a strike, but my word, if it closes for good, it’ll be like the end of the world. Even when I was a girl it was the best pit in the country, and a man counted himself lucky if he could on here. Oh, there’s been some money made in Tevershall. And now the men say it’s a sinking ship, and it’s time they all got out. Doesn’t it sound awful! But of course there’s a lot as’ll never go till they have to. They don’t like these new fangled mines, such a depth, and all machinery to work them. Some of them simply dreads those iron men, as they call them, those machines for hewing the coal, where men always did it before. And they say it’s wasteful as well. But what goes in waste is saved in wages, and a lot more. It seems soon there’ll be no use for men on the face of the earth, it’ll be all machines. But they say that’s what folks said when they had to give up the old stocking frames. I can remember one or two. But my word, the more machines, the more people, that’s what it looks like! They say you can’t get the same chemicals out of Tevershall coal as you can out of Stacks Gate, and that’s funny, they’re not three miles apart. But they say so. But everybody says it’s a shame something can’t be started, to keep the men going a bit better, and employ the girls. All the girls traipsing off to Sheffield every day! My word, it would be something to talk about if Tevershall Collieries took a new lease of life, after everybody saying they’re finished, and a sinking ship, and the men ought to leave them like rats leave a sinking ship. But folks talk so much, of course there was a boom during the war. When Sir Geoffrey made a trust of himself and got the money safe for ever, somehow. So they say! But they say even the masters and the owners don’t get much out of it now. You can hardly believe it, can you! Why I always thought the pits would go on for ever and ever. Who’d have thought, when I was a girl! But New England’s shut down, so is Colwick Wood: yes, it’s fair haunting to go through that coppy and see Colwick Wood standing there deserted among the trees, and bushes growing up all over the pithead, and the lines red rusty. It’s like death itself, a dead colliery. Why, whatever should we do if Tevershall shut down—? It doesn’t bear thinking of. Always that throng it’s been, except at strikes, and even then the fan-wheels didn’t stand, except when they fetched the ponies up. I’m sure it’s a funny world, you don’t know where you are from year to year, you really don’t.’
It was Mrs Bolton’s talk that really put a new fight into Clifford. His income, as she pointed out to him, was secure, from his father’s trust, even though it was not large. The pits did not really concern him. It was the other world he wanted to capture, the world of literature and fame; the popular world, not the working world.
Now he realized the distinction between popular success and working success: the populace of pleasure and the populace of work. He, as a private individual, had been catering with his stories for the populace of pleasure. And he had caught on. But beneath the populace of pleasure lay the populace of work, grim, grimy, and rather terrible. They too had to have their providers. And it was a much grimmer business, providing for the populace of work, than for the populace of pleasure. While he was doing his stories, and ‘getting on’ in the world, Tevershall was going to the wall.
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