. And though he had not developed into a dandy (finance
forbidding), he kept his hair unnaturally straight, and amiably grumbled
to Maggie about his collars every fortnight or so. Yes, another Edwin!
Yet it must not be assumed that he was growing in discontent, either
chronic or acute. On the contrary, the malady of discontent troubled
him less and less.

To the paper boy he was a real man. The paper boy accepted him with
unreserved fatalism, as Edwin accepted his father. Thus the boy stood
passive while Edwin brought business to a standstill by privately
perusing the "Manchester Examiner." It was Saturday morning, the
morning on which the "Examiner" published its renowned Literary
Supplement. All the children read eagerly the Literary Supplement; but
Edwin, in virtue of his office, got it first. On the first and second
pages was the serial story, by George MacDonald, W. Clark Russell, or
Mrs Lynn Linton; then followed readable extracts from new books, and on
the fourth page were selected jokes from "Punch." Edwin somehow always
began with the jokes, and in so doing was rather ashamed of his levity.
He would skim the jokes, glance at the titles of the new books, and look
at the dialogue parts of the serial, while business and the boy waited.
There was no hurry then, even though the year had reached 1873 and
people were saying that they would soon be at the middle of the
seventies; even though the Licensing Act had come into force and
publicans were predicting the end of the world. Morning papers were not
delivered till ten, eleven, or twelve o'clock in Bursley, and on
Saturdays, owing to Edwin's laudable interest in the best periodical
literature, they were apt to be delivered later than usual.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

TWO.

On this particular morning Edwin was disturbed in his studies by a
greater than the paper boy, a greater even than his father. Mr Osmond
Orgreave came stamping his cold feet into the shop, the floor of which
was still a little damp from the watering that preceded its sweeping.
Mr Orgreave, though as far as Edwin knew he had never been in the shop
before, went straight to the coke-stove, bent his knees, and began to
warm his hands. In this position he opened an interview with Edwin, who
dropped the Literary Supplement. Miss Ingamells was momentarily absent.

"Father in?"

"No, sir."

Edwin did not say where his father was, becaus