Patience Wins | Page 5

what he called the inside of Arrowfield--that is to say the inside of the comfortable furnished lodgings he had taken right up a hill, where, over a cosy tea-table with hot country cakes and the juiciest of hot mutton chops, I soon forgot the wearisome nature of our journey, and the dismal look of the town.
"Eat away, my boys," cried Uncle Dick. "Yeat, as they call it here. The place is all right; everything ready for work, and we'll set to with stout hearts, and make up for lost time."
"When do we begin, uncle--to-morrow?"
"No, no: not till next Monday morning. To-morrow we'll have a look over the works, and then we'll idle a bit--have a few runs into the country round, and see what it's like."
"Black dismal place," I said dolefully.
"Says he's tired out and wants to go to bed," said Uncle Jack, giving his eye a peculiar cock at his brothers.
"I didn't," I cried.
"Not in words, my fine fellow, but you looked it."
"Then I won't look so again," I cried. "I say, don't talk to me as if I were a little boy to be sent to bed."
"Well, you're not a man yet, Cob. Is he, boys?"
Uncle Dick was in high spirits, and he took up a candle and held it close to my cheek.
"What's the matter?" I said. "Is it black? I shouldn't wonder."
"Not a bit, Cob," he said seriously. "You can't even see a bit of the finest down growing."
"Oh, I say," I cried, "it's too bad! I don't pretend to be a man at sixteen; but now I've come down here to help you in the new works, you oughtn't to treat me as if I were a little boy."
"Avast joking!" said Uncle Dick quietly, for the comely landlady came in to clear away the tea-things, and she had just finished when there was a double knock at the front door.
We heard it opened, and a deep voice speaking, and directly after the landlady came in with a card.
"Mr Tomplin, gentlemen," she said. "He's at the door, and I was to say that if it was inconvenient for you to see him to-night, perhaps you would call at his office when you were down the town."
"Oh, ask him in, Mrs Stephenson," cried Uncle Dick; and as she left the room--"it's the solicitor to whom I brought the letter of introduction from the bank."
It was a short dark man in black coat and waistcoat and pepper-and-salt trousers who was shown in. He had little sharp eyes that seemed to glitter. So did his hair, which was of light-grey, and stood up all over his head as if it was on white fire. He had not a particle of hair on his face, which looked as if he was a very good customer to the barber.
He shook hands very heartily with all of us, nodding pleasantly the while; and when he sat down he took out a brown-and-yellow silk handkerchief and blew his nose like a horn.
"Welcome to Yorkshire, gentlemen!" he said. "My old friends at the bank send me a very warm letter of recommendation about you, and I'm at your service. Professional consultations at the usual fee, six and eight or thirteen and four, according to length. Friendly consultations--Thank you, I'm much obliged. This is a friendly consultation. Now what can I do for you?"
He looked round at us all, and I felt favourably impressed. So did my uncles, as Uncle Dick answered for all.
"Nothing at present, sir. By and by we shall be glad to come to you for legal and friendly advice too."
"That's right," said Mr Tomplin. "You've taken the Rivulet Works, I hear."
"Yes, down there by the stream."
"What are you going to do?--carry on the old forging and grinding?"
"Oh, dear, no!" said Uncle Dick. "We are going in for odds and ends, sir. To introduce, I hope, a good many improvements in several branches of the trades carried on here, principally in forging."
Mr Tomplin drew in his lips and filled his face with wrinkles.
"Going to introduce new inventions, eh?" he said.
"Yes, sir, but only one at a time," said Uncle Jack.
"And have you brought a regiment of soldiers with you, gentlemen?"
"Brought a what?" said Uncle Bob, laughing.
"Regiment of soldiers, sir, and a company of artillerymen with a couple of guns."
"Ha! Ha! Ha!" laughed Uncle Dick, showing his white teeth. "Mr Tomplin means to besiege Arrowfield."
"No, I don't, my dear sir. I mean to turn your works into a fort to defend yourselves against your enemies."
"My dear sir," said Uncle Jack, "we haven't an enemy in the world."
"Not at the present moment, sir, I'll be bound," said Mr Tomplin, taking snuff, and then blowing his nose so violently that I wondered he did not have an accident with it and split the sides. "Not