The Story of Antony Grace Part 92

CHAPTER FIFTY FIVE.

THE DAY OF TRIUMPH.

The day of trial came at last; and after a sleepless night, I was trying to make a good breakfast before going down to Mr Ruddle's with the inventor.

I believe I felt as nervous and excited as Hallett himself; for Mr Ruddle had spoken to me the night before about some unpleasant suspicions that he had.

"I don't like to accuse any body, Grace," he said; "but I'm afraid a certain person who shall be nameless has been setting some of the ignorant, drunken loafers of the trade against the machine."

That was all then, but it was enough to make me uneasy, though I did not believe in the possibility of any trade outrage in the middle of London.

Hallett looked very pale, but I never saw him seem more manly, thoughtful, and handsome, as he stood there in his mother's room, holding her hands.

"I shall come back, dear," he said, kissing her tenderly, "telling you of my success. No, no, don't shake your head. Good-bye, dear, wish me success. Good-bye, Linny, darling! Ah! Mr Girtley, you here?"

"To be sure," cried Tom Girtley; "I've come to wish you success. Linny and I are going to throw old shoes after you. Mind! a champagne supper if you succeed. Tony and I will find the champagne. Hallo! here's Papa Rowle."

There was no mistaking that step, without the sound of the old man taking snuff, and he entered directly after; got up in grand style, and with a flower in his b.u.t.ton-hole.

He had a bunch of flowers, too, for Mrs Hallett, and a kiss for Linny; and then, shaking hands all round, he began to rub his hands.

"It's a winner, Hallett--a winner!" he exclaimed. "Come along, Girtley, you'll make one. We want some big boys to cry 'Hooray!'"

"I'll come, then," said Tom merrily; and directly after we went off, trying to look delighted, but all feeling exceedingly nervous and strange.

Hallett and Girtley went on in front, and Mr Jabez took my arm, holding me a little back.

"I'm glad Girtley's coming, Grace," he said; "he's a big, strong fellow, and we may want him."

"Why?" I said excitedly.

"I don't know for certain, my boy, but I'm afraid there's mischief brewing. I can't swear to it, but I believe that devil, John Lister, has been stirring up the scoundreldom of the trade, with stuff about the machine taking the bread out of their mouths, and if the trial pa.s.ses off without a hitch, I shall be surprised."

"Mr Ruddle hinted something of the kind, last night," I said.

"Yes, but don't let Hallett know, poor fellow! He's weak and ill enough already. He might break down. Ruddle had men watching the place all last night, so as to guard against any malicious attempts."

"But do you think they would dare to injure the machine?" I exclaimed.

"Fools will do anything if they are set to do it," said the old man, sententiously.

"If Lister is at the bottom of any such attempts he deserves to be shot," I cried indignantly.

"And his carcase given to the crows," said the old man. "But I say, Antony Grace, my boy, is Miss Carr likely to come to see the trial?"

"No," I replied; "she asked me to let her know the time, but she said she could not come."

"Humph! I should have liked her to see it," he said. "But come along; don't let's lag behind; and mind this, my ideas may only be suspicions, and worth nothing at all."

There was a group or two of men hanging about the rival office, bearing Lister's name, at the end of the street, as we went up to the great building, and as I pa.s.sed the timekeeper's box I could not help thinking of the day when, a s.h.i.+vering, nervous boy, I had gone up only to meet with a rebuff; while now one of the first persons to come bustling up, looking very much older, but as pugnacious and important as ever, was Mr Grimstone, who was quite obsequious as he shook hands first with me, and then with Hallett.

"Very, very proud, gentlemen," he exclaimed, "very proud indeed. Great changes since you used to honour us with your a.s.sistance."

"Yes, Mr Grimstone," I said, laughing as I wondered how I could ever have trembled before him, "and time hasn't stood still."

"No, indeed, but we wear well, Mr Jabez Rowle and I, sir. Ha-ha-ha!

Yes, old standards, sir, both of us, and we stand by the old establishment. We don't want to go away inventing great machines."

"Oh, Grimstone! the men are still there with the machine?" said Mr Ruddle, coming up.

"No, sir, not now. They went off when I came, but I've put the new watchman on."

"Confound it all, Grimstone! You've never put a stranger there?"

exclaimed Mr Ruddle furiously.

"But I have, sir," said the overseer importantly. "Here he is, sir.

Bramah lock," and he held out a bright new key.

"Oh, I see," said Mr Ruddle, laughing. "Here's Mr Girtley, senior."

The great engineer came up, nodded to his son and me, shook hands with Hallett, and then we all went to the room where the machine had been set up, glistening, bright, and new, with the shaft and bands of the regular engine gear pa.s.sing through above it.

The first thing noticed was that the window was open; and annoyed that the mist of a damp morning should be admitted, I hurriedly closed it, thinking then no more of the matter.

It wanted quite an hour to the time appointed, and the interval was employed in superintending the alteration of a few bolts and nuts, which Mr Girtley wanted tightened, and as I watched the great engineer, a man whose name was now an authority throughout Europe, and who was constantly refusing contracts, pull off his coat, take a spanner, and help his men, I began to realise that it was his personal attention to small matters and his watchful supervision that had raised him to his present position.

"Nice hands!" he said, laughing, as he held them out all over blacklead and oil. "Wise lad, you were, Tom, to leave it, and take to your parchment and pounce."

There was a covert sneer in his words, which Tom seemed to take, for he said quickly:

"Perhaps, father, I may help you as much with my brain as I used to help you with my hands."

"Yes, yes, of course, my boy, and we must have lawyers. Well, Grace, how do you feel about it now?"

"I think I'd ease that nut a little, sir," I said, pointing to one part of the machine.

"Why?" he said sharply.

"I fancy that there will be so much stress upon that wheel that it will be better to give it as much freedom as we can, and, perhaps I am wrong, sir, but it strikes me--" I glanced at Hallett, and felt the blood flush to my face, for I felt that what I was about to say must sound very cruel to him.

"Go on, Antony," he said kindly; but I saw that he was very pale.

"It strikes you?" said Mr Girtley.

"That this is the weak part of the contrivance. Here falls the stress; and, when it is running at full speed, I feel sure that the slight structure of this portion will tell against the machine doing good work, and it may result in its breaking down."

"Go on," said Mr Girtley bluntly; for I had stopped, feeling uncomfortable at the dead silence that had fallen upon the group.

"It is not a question of efficiency," I said, "but one of detail, of substantiality and durability. At first sight it seems as if it would make the machine c.u.mbersome, but I feel sure that if we made that shaft and its wheel four times the thickness--that is to say, excessively ma.s.sive, we should get a firm, solid regularity in the working, a fourth of the vibration, and be able to dispense with this awkward fly-wheel.