Patience Wins

Patience Wins, by George
Manville Fenn

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Title: Patience Wins War in the Works
Author: George Manville Fenn
Release Date: May 8, 2007 [EBook #21361]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PATIENCE
WINS ***

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

Patience Wins; or, War in the Works, by George Manville Fenn.
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The boy hero of the book, his father and his three uncles live in
Canonbury, London, and run a factory in Bermondsey, the other side of
the Thames in London. But they feel they need to expand, and they buy
a steel working business in the North of England. Here they try to
introduce various profitable practices, such as improved methods for
working the steel, and various ingenious and new items of factory
equipment.
But these new ideas are objected-to by the Trades Unions, and the
despicable behaviour of the work-force is due to this attitude. All sorts
of the most dreadful and wicked deeds are perpetrated, and unpleasant
things are done to the few workmen who seem to be coming round to
sense. The Uncles reflect on how much more amenable and sensible a
London workforce would have been in the same circumstances. But
eventually various incidents occur in which it can be seen what
excellent people the hero and his Uncles really are, and the whole town
starts to welcome them. Hence the title of the book--"Patience Wins".
It's not a long book, but there is plenty of action. It is not in the general
tradition of Manville Fenn books, but it is a very good read.
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PATIENCE WINS; OR, WAR IN THE WORKS, BY GEORGE
MANVILLE FENN.
CHAPTER ONE.
A FAMILY COUNCIL.
"I say, Uncle Dick, do tell me what sort of a place it is."
"Oh, you'll see when you get there!"
"Uncle Jack, you tell me then; what's it like?"
"Like! What, Arrowfield? Ask Uncle Bob."

"There, Uncle Bob, I'm to ask you. Do tell me what sort of a place it
is?"
"Get out, you young nuisance!"
"What a shame!" I said. "Here are you three great clever men, who
know all about it; you've been down half a dozen times, and yet you
won't answer a civil question when you are asked."
I looked in an ill-used way at my three uncles, as they sat at the table
covered with papers; and except that one would be a little darker than
the other, I could not help thinking how very much they were alike, and
at the same time like my father, only that he had some grey coming at
the sides of his head. They were all big fine-looking men between
thirty and forty, stern enough when they were busy, but wonderfully
good-tempered and full of fun when business was over; and I'm afraid
they spoiled me.
When, as I say, business was over, they were ready for anything with
me, and though I had a great feeling of reverence, almost dread, for my
father, my three big uncles always seemed to me like companions, and
they treated me as if I were their equal.
Cricket! Ah! Many's the game we've had together. They'd take me
fishing, and give me the best pitch, and see that I caught fish if they did
not.
Tops, marbles, kite-flying, football; insect and egg collecting; geology,
botany, chemistry; they were at home with all, and I shared in the game
or pursuit as eagerly as they.
I've known the time when they'd charge into the room at Canonbury,
where I was busy with the private tutor--for I did not go to school--with
"Mr Headley, Mr Russell would like to speak to you;" and as soon as
he had left the room, seize hold of me, and drag me out of my chair
with, "Come along, Cob: work's closed for the day. Country!"
Then away we'd go for a delicious day's collecting, or something of the

kind.
They used to call it slackening their bands, and mine.
Time had glided on very happily till I was sixteen, and there was some
talk of my being sent to a great engineer's establishment for five or six
years to learn all I could before being taken on at our own place in
Bermondsey, where Russell and Company carried on business, and
knocked copper and brass and tin about, and made bronze, and
gun-metal, and did a great deal for other firms with furnaces, and