CHAPTER X STEPHEN BLACKPOOL

IentertainaweakideathattheEnglishpeopleareashard-workedasanypeopleuponwhomthesunshines.Iacknowledgetothisridiculousidiosyncrasy,asareasonwhyIwouldgivethemalittlemoreplay. InthehardestworkingpartofCoketownintheinnermostfortificationsofthatuglycitadel,whereNaturewasasstronglybrickedoutaskillingairsandgaseswerebrickedinattheheartofthelabyrinthofnarrowcourtsuponcourts,andclosestreetsuponstreets,whichhadcomeintoexistencepiecemeal,everypieceinaviolenthurryforsomeoneman’spurpose,andthewholeanunnaturalfamily,shouldering,andtrampling,andpressingoneanothertodeathinthelastclosenookofthisgreatexhaustedreceiver,wherethechimneys,forwantofairtomakeadraught,werebuiltinanimmensevarietyofstuntedandcrookedshapes,asthougheveryhouseputoutasignofthekindofpeoplewhomightbeexpectedtobeborninitamongthemultitudeofCoketown,genericallycalled‘theHands,’—aracewhowouldhavefoundmorefavourwithsomepeople,ifProvidencehadseenfittomakethemonlyhands,or,likethelowercreaturesoftheseashore,onlyhandsandstomachs—livedacertainStephenBlackpool,fortyyearsofage. Stephenlookedolder,buthehadhadahardlife.Itissaidthateverylifehasitsrosesandthornsthereseemed,however,tohavebeenamisadventureormistakeinStephen’scase,wherebysomebodyelsehadbecomepossessedofhisroses,andhehadbecomepossessedofthesamesomebodyelse’sthornsinadditiontohisown.Hehadknown,tousehiswords,apeckoftrouble.HewasusuallycalledOldStephen,inakindofroughhomagetothefact. Aratherstoopingman,withaknittedbrow,aponderingexpressionofface,andahard-lookingheadsufficientlycapacious,onwhichhisiron-greyhairlaylongandthin,OldStephenmighthavepassedforaparticularlyintelligentmaninhiscondition.Yethewasnot.Hetooknoplaceamongthoseremarkable‘Hands,’who,piecingtogethertheirbrokenintervalsofleisurethroughmanyyears,hadmastereddifficultsciences,andacquiredaknowledgeofmostunlikelythings.HeheldnostationamongtheHandswhocouldmakespeechesa