Tobias added, ‘I am told that the good coal has been worked out. The manager said there were plans for a new shaft, but no money to pay for it.’
‘It must be hard for everyone.’
‘Families like the Wiltons are all right. Sarah has two brothers down the pit as well as her mother and father, so they are not starving. It’s those with babies and very young children who can’t manage.Those mothers cannot go down the pit with their husbands. That’s why we need the mission.’
Jared felt humbled by his own comfortable existence. He had developed genuine admiration for Tobias and Anna Holmes. They appeared to be using their own funds to support these families. He wanted to help them properly.
‘You will thank your mother for us, won’t you?’ Anna said. ‘Why don’t you come to our meeting next Sunday?’
That was the second time he had been asked. But Mother and Father went to church and Father didn’t hold with some of the chapel ministers stirring up his labourers. ‘My family are church folk,’ he said.
‘You are still most welcome to join us whenever you wish. We always need help in our Sunday school.’
His eyes widened. Jared didn’t think he’d be much use as a Sunday-afternoon nursemaid. But these people had mined the coal that had kept his father’s forge going, which had enabled him to be educated. They were not the cause of the bank’s troubles and he wanted to give something back if he could.
‘What kind of help?’ he asked.
‘Are you any good with numbers?’ Tobias responded.
He nodded. ‘Mathematics was my best subject.’
‘Sarah has no facility with figures.’
And I’m no teacher, he thought, but he said, ‘I can show them what I did at school.’
‘Would you, Jared?’Anna exclaimed.‘That would be so useful, especially for the boys.’
‘Very well, then,’ he agreed.‘But I really must get home now. Is my cart back yet?’
Sarah’s brothers were waiting with it by the track and she walked with him.
‘Is Miss Holmes a teacher?’ he asked.
‘I don’t think so. She organizes things.’
‘She’s much older than her brother.’
‘Not really. She’s nine-and-thirty. My mam says she had a hard life while he was in America and that’s why she looks older. I think he’s about five years younger. He carries his age well, don’t you think?’
Jared nodded.
‘How old are you?’ she asked bluntly.
When he hesitated she added, ‘I’m nineteen.’
He considered lying as he could pass for older if he wanted to, but after a pause he replied, ‘Seventeen.’ Almost, he thought.
‘That’s old to be starting work.’
‘I’ve been at school.’
Sarah seemed impressed. ‘Is your dad well off then?’
‘Nobody’s well off in this town now.’
‘Where do you live, though?’ Sarah persisted.
‘On the valley road. I expect I’ll lodge somewhere when I start work.’
Sarah sighed.‘You’re lucky.You’ll have a future at Swinborough’s. Not like us. I don’t know what we’ll do if the pit closes.’
He took hold of the cart from her brothers. They were big, brawny lads and went to stand at either side of her. Their unspoken message was clear: she was a pretty girl, bright and friendly, and he was a stranger, not to be trusted. He supposed he’d get to know them better if he helped in the Sunday school. Had he really volunteered to teach arithmetic to miners’ children? He had surprised himself, he thought, as he pushed the cart along the towpath towards home.
He spent the next day rummaging though his school books and copying number exercises onto some paper.
His father was late home for tea, but when they had finished, he had news for them.
‘I’ve arranged for Jared to work in the winding house at Kimber Deep. It’s Sir William’s biggest pit and he’ll learn all about steam engines.’
Jared grinned with delight.
His mother was not so happy. ‘It’s so far out of town, Benjamin, and that towpath can be dangerous after dark.’
‘Don’t fret, my dear. He will lodge with the supervisor and his wife.’
Caroline frowned, then smiled. ‘He’ll have Sunday off, won’t he, to come home?’
‘Indeed he will. Every week. Isn’t that generous?’
‘Thank you, Father.’ Jared felt mounting excitement. ‘When do I start?’
‘Me and your mother’ll take you over in the trap before tea next Sunday.You’ll be up at six for work the day after, checking loads and keeping accounts.’
‘I thought you said I’d be on the steam engines.’
‘All in good time, my lad.’
‘Will I be paid?’
‘A bit. Most of it will go for your lodgings, but you’ll have some left over. There’s not much to spend it on at Kimber Deep so I don’t want to hear tales of you making merry in the alehouse. Do y’ hear?’
‘Yes, Father.’
Jared was happy on two counts. First, he would be working at last, doing real men’s work. And on Sir William’s steam engines! He couldn’t wait. Second, Kimber Deep was up the Fordham cut, which was on the way to Mexton. It was much nearer to the old farmhouse than his home was so he’d be able to see his new friends.
His father said, ‘You’ll get home in time for church on Sunday.’
‘Unless the weather’s bad,’ his mother cautioned. ‘We don’t want him catching his death.’
‘No, of course not, my dear. It’s too far to walk in the rain.’
‘There must be a church over there somewhere,’ Jared suggested.
‘Aye,’ his father agreed. ‘I’ll ask the supervisor where he worships.’
‘Oh, but you will come home when you can,’ his mother begged. ‘I shall miss you.’
Jared stood up, towering over her. He bent to kiss the top of her head. ‘You’ll see more of me than you did when I was at school, Mother. I shall be here every Sunday if the weather is fair.You can depend on it.Would I miss one of your Sunday dinners?’ He exchanged a glance with his father, who smiled and nodded, then jerked his head in a gesture for him to leave.
His sisters were sewing in the drawing room. He went through the kitchen into the backyard and down the garden to the stable where they kept the pony and trap. He had already bedded the horse down for the night, but stroked the pony’s nose and spoke to it. ‘Well,’ he murmured, ‘if Sundays are rainy this autumn, Mother won’t be happy but I shall. I shall be able to go to Mexton.’ He felt a pang of guilt as he hoped for bad weather.
His mother had baked a cake full of dried fruits for him to take to his lodgings the following Sunday, which pleased the supervisor’s wife. Her children had grown up and left so she was glad to have someone to look after.The house was a decent size, with a front room they called a parlour and three upstairs chambers. It was fairly new, built of local stone for an overseer, and near to the pithead. They had tea in the parlour, with fresh baked scones, before his mother and father left.
‘I’ll ride with you as far as the turnpike,’ Jared said. ‘I could do with the walk back.’
It was getting dark, and as soon as they were out of sight he ran down the cut to the canal, over Fordham Bridge and across country to Mexton Pit. The barn was locked and in darkness, but there was a light in the farmhouse.
Tobias was sitting at the kitchen table adding up figures in a ledger, and his sister was opposite, writing a journal. After they had greeted each other, Jared said, ‘I’m sorry I missed your meeting. I couldn’t get away any earlier.’
‘You’re always welcome,’ Anna replied.
He showed them the exercises he had written out.‘I’ve begun on the lessons, but I start work at Kimber Deep tomorrow.’
‘You’re going down the pit?’
‘I’m in the engine house. I shall be able to come over here, but not every Sunday.’
‘We shall look forward to seeing you.’ Tobias echoed his sister’s sentiments. ‘Will you sit down with us now?’
‘They’re expecting me at my lodgings. I have my school books there so I can copy out some more exercises.’ He hesitated, then added, ‘Do you have your meetings when it rains?’
‘Of course.’
‘Good,’ he replied. ‘And now I must get back. I don’t want them fretting about me on my first night.’
He took his leave and ran all the way back to Kimber Deep, taking off his jacket, shirt and vest when he got there to wash his arms and chest at the pump before he went into the house. This seemed to impress the supervisor, who gave him a small tankard of porter as a nightcap. Jared slept well in his new bed, thinking of his new job, his new friends and his new life.
Sunday became the focus of Jared’s week and he looked forward to his visit to the Mexton mission. The weather was fine and his parents would expect him at home, so he rose early to join the morning meeting in the barn. He stood and listened to Tobias giving Bible readings he recognized.Anna led the hymns. She had a good singing voice, Jared thought.
He guessed that three or four Mexton families were present. Mr and Mrs Wilton made room for him among their children and he lingered afterwards, outside in the wintry sun, talking to Mr Wilton about his new position. He forgot the hour and had to run down the towpath to reach home before dinner. The Yorkshire puddings were already on the table when he slid breathlessly into his chair.
‘I’m sorry, Mother. It’s further than I thought from Kimber Deep.’
‘You must set off earlier next week,’ his father replied seriously.
‘You’re here now,’ his mother said.‘Pass the gravy to Josephina and tell us about your work.’
It had been less strenuous than he had expected, and his supervisor didn’t let him anywhere near the steam engines so he was stuck in an office with little chance to talk to the other men at Kimber Deep. ‘I’ve been checking loads and recording numbers in a ledger,’ he reported, with a groan.
‘That’s responsible work.You make sure you do it right.’
‘Yes, Father,’ he replied automatically. He found his new job easy enough, but there wasn’t much else to say except that he wondered how long he would put up with the boredom. He changed the subject. ‘What have my little sisters been doing while I’ve been away?’
His lateness was forgotten as they told him about their drawing lesson and their music. They finished the Yorkshire pudding and concentrated on the joint of roast pork that their father was carving before them.
Josephina said, ‘Will you sit for us after dinner? We want to draw your likeness for Mother.’
‘I can’t stay. I’ve some reading and calculations to do before tomorrow.’ It was the truth, he thought, even if it was for the Sunday school. He saw that his sisters looked disappointed and felt a pang of guilt. He went on lightly,‘Why not wait until you’ve had a few more lessons?’ He was relieved when they laughed.
‘Give him time to settle in at Kimber Deep, my dears,’ his mother chided gently.
Juliana, the younger, protested, ‘But the weather will get worse and then you won’t come home at all.’
‘You’ll be here when you can, won’t you, son? Just make sure you get to a church over there when you can’t be with us,’ his father added firmly. His tone told them all it was his final word on the matter. He picked up his carving knife and asked, ‘Now, who would like more crackling?’
Jared stayed to listen to his sisters play their new duet, then sprinted down the towpath towards Mexton. The barn was empty when he reached it and he headed for the farmhouse.
Anna must have seen him through the kitchen window for she came outside to greet him. ‘Jared! Come.’
‘Phew! It’s warm in here.’ He blinked. The kitchen was crowded. All the bread and dripping had gone and the youngsters were lining up in the scullery to wash their hands and faces in warm water.
‘The children were hungry. They don’t get much dinner nowadays.’
Jared felt the second pang of guilt that day as he thought of the good dinner he had devoured.
Tobias was collecting the empty tin mugs. When he saw Jared, he said, ‘Hello, again. Will you help me with these?’
The two men carried a pailful of mugs outside to rinse them at the pump. They took off their jackets, rolled up their shirtsleeves and filled the pail with water.
‘It’s good of you to call,’ Tobias said.
‘I’m sorry I didn’t get over earlier. I’d like to do more to help.’
Tobias stopped rinsing the mugs. ‘We are grateful for your support. What do your parents think about you coming here?’
‘We haven’t discussed it.’
‘You should.’
Jared nodded and put a handful of mugs to drain on a clean plank. He wondered what his father would say. Well, it would be best to tell him, rather than let him hear it from somebody else. He just needed to find the right moment.
Chapter 7
Jared liked his Sundays at the old farmhouse. He even enjoyed the rush to get there before the end of Sunday school. He took number exercises he had learned at school and gave them to the village lads after Sarah had taught them their letters. He’d never met anyone like Tobias and his sister before and he was glad to be of help to them. He thought their mission was not only necessary for the survival of Mexton villagers but seemed well organized and orderly. He continued his visits as the autumn days shortened and winter mists slowed down traffic on the canal.
He went home too, fearful he might be neglecting his family, but by the middle of the month he realized that, although they were pleased to see him, his father was not in a good humour when he greeted him. Jared ate his dinner and talked about his work.
His father pushed away a clean plate and said, ‘That was a very good dinner, Caroline, my dear. Don’t you agree, son?’
‘I do. Thank you, Mother.’
She smiled. ‘It’s such a pleasure to see you on Sunday, Jared. Juliana and Josephina would like you to sit with them for their drawing this week.’
‘I must get back before dark. The mist soon comes down along the towpath.’