Page 163 - sons-and-lovers

Paul ground away at the letters, whilst Mr. Pappleworth
fussed over various jobs. Suddenly the boy started as a shrill
whistle sounded near his ear. Mr. Pappleworth came, took
a plug out of a pipe, and said, in an amazingly cross and
bossy voice:
‘Yes?’
Paul heard a faint voice, like a woman’s, out of the mouth
of the tube. He gazed in wonder, never having seen a speak-
ing-tube before.
‘Well,’ said Mr. Pappleworth disagreeably into the tube,
‘you’d better get some of your back work done, then.’
Again the woman’s tiny voice was heard, sounding pret-
ty and cross.
‘I’ve not time to stand here while you talk,’ said Mr. Pap-
pleworth, and he pushed the plug into the tube.
‘Come, my lad,’ he said imploringly to Paul, ‘there’s Polly
crying out for them orders. Can’t you buck up a bit? Here,
come out!’
He took the book, to Paul’s immense chagrin, and began
the copying himself. He worked quickly and well. This done,
he seized some strips of long yellow paper, about three inch-
es wide, and made out the day’s orders for the work-girls.
‘You’d better watch me,’ he said to Paul, working all the
while rapidly. Paul watched the weird little drawings of
legs, and thighs, and ankles, with the strokes across and the
numbers, and the few brief directions which his chief made
upon the yellow paper. Then Mr. Pappleworth finished and
jumped up.
‘Come on with me,’ he said, and the yellow papers fly-

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