CHAPTER V THE KEYNOTE

Coketown,towhichMessrs.BounderbyandGradgrindnowwalked,wasatriumphoffactithadnogreatertaintoffancyinitthanMrs.Gradgrindherself.Letusstrikethekey-note,Coketown,beforepursuingourtune. Itwasatownofredbrick,orofbrickthatwouldhavebeenredifthesmokeandasheshadalloweditbutasmattersstood,itwasatownofunnaturalredandblacklikethepaintedfaceofasavage.Itwasatownofmachineryandtallchimneys,outofwhichinterminableserpentsofsmoketrailedthemselvesforeverandever,andnevergotuncoiled.Ithadablackcanalinit,andariverthatranpurplewithill-smellingdye,andvastpilesofbuildingfullofwindowswheretherewasarattlingandatremblingalldaylong,andwherethepistonofthesteam-engineworkedmonotonouslyupanddown,liketheheadofanelephantinastateofmelancholymadness.Itcontainedseverallargestreetsallverylikeoneanother,andmanysmallstreetsstillmorelikeoneanother,inhabitedbypeopleequallylikeoneanother,whoallwentinandoutatthesamehours,withthesamesounduponthesamepavements,todothesamework,andtowhomeverydaywasthesameasyesterdayandto-morrow,andeveryyearthecounterpartofthelastandthenext. TheseattributesofCoketownwereinthemaininseparablefromtheworkbywhichitwassustainedagainstthemweretobesetoff,comfortsoflifewhichfoundtheirwayallovertheworld,andeleganciesoflifewhichmade,wewillnotaskhowmuchofthefinelady,whocouldscarcelybeartoheartheplacementioned.Therestofitsfeatureswerevoluntary,andtheywerethese. YousawnothinginCoketownbutwhatwasseverelyworkful.Ifthemembersofareligiouspersuasionbuiltachapelthere—asthemembersofeighteenreligiouspersuasionshaddone—theymadeitapiouswarehouseofredbrick,withsometimes(butthisisonlyinhighlyornamentalexamples)abellinabirdcageonthetopofit.ThesolitaryexceptionwastheNewChurchastuccoededificewithasquaresteepleoverthedoor,terminatinginfourshortpinnacleslikefloridwoodenlegs.Allthepublicinscriptionsinthetownwerepaintedalike,inseverecharactersofblackandwhite.Thejailmighthavebeentheinfirmary,theinfirmarymighthavebeenthejail,thetown-hallmighthavebeeneither,orboth,oranythingelse,foranythingthatappea