Читать книгу A Slave of the Ring - J. Monk Foster - Страница 9

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The borough coroner, Mr. Robert Greenford, held an inquest this afternoon to inquire into the deaths of the six unfortunate miners who lost their lives in the lamentable explosion which took place on Monday evening at the White Crow pit, belonging to Mr. Jonathan Myrelands, the member for Ashlynton. Owing to the widespread interest taken in the proceedings it was thought advisable to hold the inquiry in the old council chamber, which was crowded when the inquiry began. Besides the coroner the following gentlemen were present: Mr. Lever Wilson, solicitor for the owner of the colliery; Mr. Thomas Aspindale, miners' agent, who represented the relatives of the deceased; Mr. Cecil Clifford, H.M. assistant inspector of mines for the district; Mr. Mark Baldwin, chief manager, and his under manager, Mr. Paul Massilon; in addition to several other officials. The proceedings were not expected to be of a protracted character, and owing to the admirable manner in which they were conducted, were brief, yet sufficiently exhaustive. After hearing all the evidence, none of which conflicted, the jury returned a verdict of 'accidental death.'

Here we may point out that immediately on hearing of the sad calamity, Mr. Myrelands at once suggested that a fund be opened for the relief of those dependent upon the dead miners, and headed the list with the handsome donation of one hundred guineas. Already the fund amounts to over a hundred pounds, and it is felt that this will be doubled. A detailed report of the inquiry will be given in our weekly edition.'

After reading that account of the inquiry, Mr. Myrelands emitted a deep grunt of satisfaction, lay back in his easy chair and puffed away complacently at his cigar. Just then there was a tap at the door, and the head of his serving man was thrust inside the room. 'Mr. Baldwin, sir, an' another gentleman to see you, sir.'

'Show them in, Jones; show them in at once!'

The man disappeared, and shortly afterwards Mr. Baldwin and Paul Massilon were standing in the room, and the mine-owner was greeting them in his most effusive style.

'So glad to see you, Baldwin, and you too, Massilon. Am very sorry, though, that the occasion is such a sad one. Have only just got back from town. Was thunderstruck when I received your telegram. Terrible affair! terrible! But those things cannot be avoided. They will occur, sir; they will occur. I got a paper as I came along, and I see the verdict was in accordance with the evidence. Sad! Sad! But I have done something for the poor people!'

All this was blurted out without an instant's cessation, and while he was speaking the mine-owner was placing his visitors in chairs, was bringing decanters from the sideboard, glasses also, and playing mine host generally with the air of one to the manor born. When they had named their drinks and he had filled their glasses, he pressed his cigars upon them, then he turned to Massilon with a very genial smile upon his not unhandsome countenance.

''Pon my word, Mr. Massilon, would you believe it, but I had no idea you were a literary man when I engaged you as assistant manager to our friend here, Mr. Baldwin? Well, well, they do say one has to go away from home for news; and I am compelled to admit that I was considerably astonished when I read in the newspapers that the Paul Massilon who had led the first party of volunteers into the exploded mine was the Paul Massilon who had written some striking story or other—I forget the name of it.'

'I must confess to the offence, Mr. Myrelands,' Paul remarked quietly.

'Offence, indeed!' the mine-owner exclaimed, with a deprecatory gesture. 'That is rather a singular way of putting it, eh? Well, I was delighted to learn that a workman of mine was able to write anything that was creditable to himself, to me, and the good old town of Ashlynton.'

Paul winced a little, but the member for the borough went on with his harangue.

'Well, well, my lad, I must see what I can do for you in London. I am not without influence, as you may be aware, Mr. Massilon; and if ever I can do anything to advance your interests in any way, you have but to speak and it shall be done.'

'Thank you very much, sir,' Paul answered, thinking at the moment that the Hon. Member would not make a bad character for a story.

'Now, Baldwin,' the master of Ashlynton House broke out again, 'don't spare that whisky, if you please. You are not looking yourself this evening; and you drink, too, my literary manager. I owe you something for the splendid manner in which you behaved the other night.'

Myrelands refilled their glasses, and they drank his health quietly, each of them wondering how he was to approach the subject in his mind. Presently Myrelands remarked in a casual way, 'I suppose the explosion has not done very much damage, Baldwin?'

'I can hardly say,' the chief manager began, weakly evading the issue he had set himself to face. 'The explosion made me so ill that I have not been able to go down to the mine since. But Massilon, here, will tell you.'

The mine-owner shifted his gaze to the young man.

'The explosion has not done a great amount of damage,' Paul said, calmly, as he grappled resolutely with the difficult and unpleasant task his superior had shifted on to his shoulders. 'Fortunately the mine exploded in the night time, and only half a dozen lives were sacrificed. Had it taken place during the day some scores of lives might have been destroyed, and it might have entailed upon you a loss of several thousands of pounds.'

'Yes, yes, that is so, Massilon!' Myrelands ejaculated, without having the least idea as to what Paul's remarks were leading up to. 'It was fortunate, after all, that the pit exploded when so few of the miners were working.'

'A few pounds, Mr. Myrelands,' Paul went on fearlessly, 'will undo all the mischief the explosion has done—barring the loss of those half-dozen lives; but it will take many hundred pounds, sir, to wipe out the mischief to which the disaster was directly traceable.'

'What do you mean?'

'Simply that the air-ways are in a fearful, a scandalous condition.'

'Ah, the explosion has shattered them—made a sorry mess of them, I daresay.'

'I tried to make Her Majesty's inspector of mines believe that the shock of the explosion was responsible for a good deal of the neglect and dilapidation he could not avoid seeing, but I am afraid he did not accept that view of the thing. All he did say was that he would pay us another visit in the course of a few weeks.'

'Are matters really so bad as that?' the mine-owner asked, with a well simulated expression of horrified amaze.

'They are so bad, sir, that another explosion may happen at any time!' was Paul's calm and unflinching reply.

'We must alter this, Baldwin! We must alter all this immediately!' Myrelands exclaimed with a great show of concern. Then he added more coolly, 'Have you any idea, Massilon, what it will cost to set things right?'

'I have been through the White Crow to-day, sir,' Paul replied, 'and have made a careful calculation as to the cost of making the old roads presentable. I believe it could be done for a thousand pounds.'

'A thousand pounds! And what do you say, Baldwin?'

'I say, sir,' the old manager said very gravely, 'that the money ought to be spent, and if spent will be spent wisely!'

'Then you shall spend it. There; that is settled. No one shall say that Jonathan Myrelands refuses to feed the goose that lays his golden eggs. No, no, my friends, I am not a gentleman of that sort. Now, gentlemen, just one more drop before you go. Here Massilon, try another cigar. I say, I will get that book of yours, and if I like it you may trust me for doing something for you among my friends!'

Five minutes later Baldwin and Paul were walking homeward together, well satisfied with the result of their visit to the member for Ashlynton.

'I was afraid to speak, Paul,' Baldwin remarked apologetically, 'and when you began I was afraid you would say too much.'

'So was I, sir; but as it happened I said just enough. That white lie about the inspector of mines was, I think, justifiable.'