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coached himself up with a blue book or two; and his brother put it
about among the hard Fact fellows, and said, If you want to bring
in, for any place, a handsome dog who can make you a devilish
good speech, look after my brother Jem, for he s your man. After a
few dashes in the public meeting way, Mr Gradgrind and a council
of political sages approved of Jem, and it was resolved to send him
down to Coketown, to become known there and in the
neighbourhood. Hence the letter Jem had last night shown to Mrs
Sparsit, which Mr Bounderby now held in his hand; superscribed,
Josiah Bounderby, Esquire, Banker, Coketown. Specially to
introduce James Harthouse, Esquire. Thomas Gradgrind. Within
an hour of the receipt of this dispatch and Mr James Harthouse s
card, Mr Bounderby put on his hat and went down to the Hotel.
There he found Mr James Harthouse looking out of window, in a
state of mind so disconsolate, that he was already half disposed to
go in for something else.
My name, sir, said his visitor, is Josiah Bounderby of Coketown.
Mr James Harthouse was very happy indeed (though he scarcely
looked so), to have a pleasure he had long expected.
Coketown, sir, said Bounderby, obstinately taking a chair, is not
the kind of place you have been accustomed to. Therefore, if you ll
allow me- or whether you will or not, for I am a plain man- I ll tell
you something about it before we go any further. Mr Harthouse
would be charmed.
Don t be too sure of that, said Bounderby. I don t promise it. First
of all, you see our smoke. That s meat and drink to us. It s the
healthiest thing in the world in all respects, and particularly for the
lungs. If you are one of those who want us to consume it, I differ
from you. We are not going to wear the bottoms of our boilers out
any faster than we wear em out now, for all the humbugging
sentiment in Great Britain and Ireland.
By way of going in to the fullest extent, Mr Harthouse rejoined,
Mr Bounderby, I assure you I am entirely and completely of your
way of thinking. On conviction. I am glad to hear it, said
Bounderby. Now, you have heard a lot of talk about the work in
our mills, no doubt. You have? Very good. I ll state the fact of it to
you. It s the pleasantest work there is, and it s the lightest work
there is, and it s the best paid work there is. More than that, we
couldn t improve the mills themselves, unless we laid down
Turkey carpets on the floors. Which we re not agoing to do. Mr
Bounderby, perfectly right. Lastly, said Bounderby, as to our
Hands. There s not a Hand in this town, sir, man, woman, or child,
but has one ultimate object in life. That object is, to be fed on turtle
104
soup and venison with a gold spoon. Now, they re not a-going-
none of em- ever to be fed on turtle soup and venison with a gold
spoon. And now you know the place. Mr Harthouse professed
himself in the highest degree instructed and refreshed, by this
condensed epitome of the whole Coketown question.
Why, you see, replied Mr Bounderby, it suits my disposition to
have a full understanding with a man, particularly with a public
man, when I make his acquaintance. I have only one thing more to
say to you, Mr Harthouse, before assuring you of the pleasure with
which I shall respond to the utmost of my poor ability, to my
friend Tom Gradgrind s letter of introduction. You are a man of
family. Don t you deceive yourself by supposing for a moment that
I am a man of family. I am a bit of dirty riff-raff, and a genuine
scrap of tag, rag, and bobtail. If anything could have exalted Jem s
interest in Mr Bounderby, it would have been this very
circumstance. Or, so he told him.
So now, said Bounderby, we may shake hands on equal terms. I
say, equal terms, because although I know what I am, and the exact
depth of the gutter I have lifted myself out of, better than any man
does, I am as proud as you are. I am just as proud as you are.
Having now asserted my independence in a proper manner, I may [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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coached himself up with a blue book or two; and his brother put it
about among the hard Fact fellows, and said, If you want to bring
in, for any place, a handsome dog who can make you a devilish
good speech, look after my brother Jem, for he s your man. After a
few dashes in the public meeting way, Mr Gradgrind and a council
of political sages approved of Jem, and it was resolved to send him
down to Coketown, to become known there and in the
neighbourhood. Hence the letter Jem had last night shown to Mrs
Sparsit, which Mr Bounderby now held in his hand; superscribed,
Josiah Bounderby, Esquire, Banker, Coketown. Specially to
introduce James Harthouse, Esquire. Thomas Gradgrind. Within
an hour of the receipt of this dispatch and Mr James Harthouse s
card, Mr Bounderby put on his hat and went down to the Hotel.
There he found Mr James Harthouse looking out of window, in a
state of mind so disconsolate, that he was already half disposed to
go in for something else.
My name, sir, said his visitor, is Josiah Bounderby of Coketown.
Mr James Harthouse was very happy indeed (though he scarcely
looked so), to have a pleasure he had long expected.
Coketown, sir, said Bounderby, obstinately taking a chair, is not
the kind of place you have been accustomed to. Therefore, if you ll
allow me- or whether you will or not, for I am a plain man- I ll tell
you something about it before we go any further. Mr Harthouse
would be charmed.
Don t be too sure of that, said Bounderby. I don t promise it. First
of all, you see our smoke. That s meat and drink to us. It s the
healthiest thing in the world in all respects, and particularly for the
lungs. If you are one of those who want us to consume it, I differ
from you. We are not going to wear the bottoms of our boilers out
any faster than we wear em out now, for all the humbugging
sentiment in Great Britain and Ireland.
By way of going in to the fullest extent, Mr Harthouse rejoined,
Mr Bounderby, I assure you I am entirely and completely of your
way of thinking. On conviction. I am glad to hear it, said
Bounderby. Now, you have heard a lot of talk about the work in
our mills, no doubt. You have? Very good. I ll state the fact of it to
you. It s the pleasantest work there is, and it s the lightest work
there is, and it s the best paid work there is. More than that, we
couldn t improve the mills themselves, unless we laid down
Turkey carpets on the floors. Which we re not agoing to do. Mr
Bounderby, perfectly right. Lastly, said Bounderby, as to our
Hands. There s not a Hand in this town, sir, man, woman, or child,
but has one ultimate object in life. That object is, to be fed on turtle
104
soup and venison with a gold spoon. Now, they re not a-going-
none of em- ever to be fed on turtle soup and venison with a gold
spoon. And now you know the place. Mr Harthouse professed
himself in the highest degree instructed and refreshed, by this
condensed epitome of the whole Coketown question.
Why, you see, replied Mr Bounderby, it suits my disposition to
have a full understanding with a man, particularly with a public
man, when I make his acquaintance. I have only one thing more to
say to you, Mr Harthouse, before assuring you of the pleasure with
which I shall respond to the utmost of my poor ability, to my
friend Tom Gradgrind s letter of introduction. You are a man of
family. Don t you deceive yourself by supposing for a moment that
I am a man of family. I am a bit of dirty riff-raff, and a genuine
scrap of tag, rag, and bobtail. If anything could have exalted Jem s
interest in Mr Bounderby, it would have been this very
circumstance. Or, so he told him.
So now, said Bounderby, we may shake hands on equal terms. I
say, equal terms, because although I know what I am, and the exact
depth of the gutter I have lifted myself out of, better than any man
does, I am as proud as you are. I am just as proud as you are.
Having now asserted my independence in a proper manner, I may [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]