Aturn,andtheyranonthehighleveltoStacksGate。StacksGate,asseenfromthehighroad,wasjustahugeandgorgeousnewhotel,theConingsbyArms,standingredandwhiteandgiltinbarbarousisolationofftheroad。Butifyoulooked,yousawontheleftrowsofhandsome`modern’
dwellings,setdownlikeagameofdominoes,withspacesandgardens,aqueergameofdominoesthatsomeweird`masters’wereplayingonthesurprisedearth。Andbeyondtheseblocksofdwellings,attheback,rosealltheastonishingandfrighteningoverheaderectionsofareallymodernmine,chemicalworksandlonggalleries,enormous,andofshapesnotbeforeknowntoman。Thehead-stockandpit-bankofthemineitselfwereinsignificantamongthehugenewinstallations。Andinfrontofthis,thegameofdominoesstoodforeverinasortofsurprise,waitingtobeplayed。
ThiswasStacksGate,newonthefaceoftheearth,sincethewar。Butasamatteroffact,thoughevenConniedidnotknowit,downhillhalfamilebelowthe`hotel’wasoldStacksGate,withalittleoldcollieryandblackisholdbrickdwellings,andachapelortwoandashoportwoandalittlepubortwo。
Butthatdidn’tcountanymore。Thevastplumesofsmokeandvapourrosefromthenewworksupabove,andthiswasnowStacksGate:nochapels,nopubs,evennoshops。Onlythegreatworks’,whicharethemodernOlympiawithtemplestoallthegods;thenthemodeldwellings:thenthehotel。
Thehotelinactualitywasnothingbutaminers’pubthoughitlookedfirst-classy。
EvensinceConnie’sarrivalatWragbythisnewplacehadarisenonthefaceoftheearth,andthemodeldwellingshadfilledwithriff-raffdriftinginfromanywhere,topoachClifford’srabbitsamongotheroccupations。
Thecarranonalongtheuplands,seeingtherollingcountyspreadout。
Thecounty!Ithadoncebeenaproudandlordlycounty。Infront,loomingagainandhangingonthebrowofthesky-line,wasthehugeandsplendidbulkofChadwickHall,morewindowthanwall,oneofthemostfamousElizabethanhouses。Nobleitstoodaloneaboveagreatpark,butoutofdate,passedover。Itwasstillkeptup,butasashowplace。`Lookhowourancestorslordedit!’
Thatwasthepast。Thepresentlaybelow。Godaloneknowswherethefuturelies。Thecarwasalreadyturning,betweenlittleoldblackenedminers’cottages,todescendtoUthwaite。AndUthwaite,onadampday,wassendingupawholearrayofsmokeplumesandsteam,towhatevergodstherebe。Uthwaitedowninthevalley,withallthesteelthreadsoftherailwaystoSheffielddrawnthroughit,andthecoal-minesandthesteel-workssendingupsmokeandglarefromlongtubes,andthepatheticlittlecorkscrewspireofthechurch,thatisgoingtotumbledown,stillprickingthefumes,alwaysaffectedConniestrangely。Itwasanoldmarket-town,centreofthedales。OneofthechiefinnswastheChatterleyArms。There,inUthwaite,WragbywasknownasWragby,asifitwereawholeplace,notjustahouse,asitwastooutsiders:WragbyHall,nearTevershall:Wragby,a`seat’。
Theminers’cottages,blackened,stoodflushonthepavement,withthatintimacyandsmallnessofcolliers’dwellingsoverahundredyearsold。
Theylinedalltheway。Theroadhadbecomeastreet,andasyousank,youforgotinstantlytheopen,rollingcountrywherethecastlesandbighousesstilldominated,butlikeghosts。Nowyouwerejustabovethetangleofnakedrailway-lines,andfoundriesandother`works’roseaboutyou,sobigyouwereonlyawareofwalls。Andironclankedwithahugereverberatingclank,andhugelorriesshooktheearth,andwhistlesscreamed。
Yetagain,onceyouhadgotrightdownandintothetwistedandcrookedheartofthetown,behindthechurch,youwereintheworldoftwocenturiesago,inthecrookedstreetswheretheChatterleyArmsstood,andtheoldpharmacy,streetswhichusedtoleadOuttothewildopenworldofthecastlesandstatelycouchanthouses。
Butatthecornerapolicemanhelduphishandasthreelorriesloadedwithironrolledpast,shakingthepooroldchurch。Andnottillthelorrieswerepastcouldhesaluteherladyship。
Soitwas。Upontheoldcrookedburgessstreetshordesofoldishblackenedminers’dwellingscrowded,liningtheroadsout。Andimmediatelyafterthesecamethenewer,pinkerrowsofratherlargerhouses,plasteringthevalley:thehomesofmoremodernworkmen。Andbeyondthatagain,inthewiderollingregionsofthecastles,smokewavedagainststeam,andpatchafterpatchofrawreddishbrickshowedthenewerminingsettlements,sometimesinthehollows,sometimesgruesomelyuglyalongthesky-lineoftheslopes。
Andbetween,inbetween,werethetatteredremnantsoftheoldcoachingandcottageEngland,eventheEnglandofRobinHood,wheretheminersprowledwiththedismalnessofsuppressedsportinginstincts,whentheywerenotatwork。
England,myEngland!ButwhichismyEngland?ThestatelyhomesofEnglandmakegoodphotographs,andcreatetheillusionofaconnexionwiththeElizabethans。Thehandsomeoldhallsarethere,fromthedaysofGoodQueenAnneandTomJones。Butsmutsfallandblackenonthedrabstucco,thathaslongceasedtobegolden。Andonebyone,likethestatelyhomes,theywereabandoned。Nowtheyarebeingpulleddown。AsforthecottagesofEngland——theretheyare——greatplasteringsofbrickdwellingsonthehopelesscountryside。
`Nowtheyarepullingdownthestatelyhomes,theGeorgianhallsaregoing。Fritchley,aperfectoldGeorgianmansion,wasevennow,asConniepassedinthecar,beingdemolished。Itwasinperfectrepair:tillthewartheWeatherleyshadlivedinstylethere。Butnowitwastoobig,tooexpensive,andthecountryhadbecometoouncongenial。Thegentryweredepartingtopleasanterplaces,wheretheycouldspendtheirmoneywithouthavingtoseehowitwasmade。’
Thisishistory。OneEnglandblotsoutanother。Themineshadmadethehallswealthy。Nowtheywereblottingthemout,astheyhadalreadyblottedoutthecottages。TheindustrialEnglandblotsouttheagriculturalEngland。
Onemeaningblotsoutanother。ThenewEnglandblotsouttheoldEngland。
AndthecontinuityisnotOrganic,butmechanical。
Connie,belongingtotheleisuredclasses,hadclungtotheremnantsoftheoldEngland。IthadtakenheryearstorealizethatitwasreallyblottedoutbythisterrifyingnewandgruesomeEngland,andthattheblottingoutwouldgoontillitwascomplete。Fritchleywasgone,Eastwoodwasgone,Shipleywasgoing:SquireWinter’sbelovedShipley。
ConniecalledforamomentatShipley。Theparkgates,attheback,openedjustnearthelevelcrossingofthecollieryrailway;theShipleycollieryitselfstoodjustbeyondthetrees。Thegatesstoodopen,becausethroughtheparkwasaright-of-waythatthecolliersused。Theyhungaroundthepark。
Thecarpassedtheornamentalponds,inwhichthecolliersthrewtheirnewspapers,andtooktheprivatedrivetothehouse。Itstoodabove,aside,averypleasantstuccobuildingfromthemiddleoftheeighteenthcentury。
Ithadabeautifulalleyofyewtrees,thathadapproachedanolderhouse,andthehallstoodserenelyspreadout,winkingitsGeorgianpanesasifcheerfully。Behind,therewerereallybeautifulgardens。
ConnielikedtheinteriormuchbetterthanWragby。Itwasmuchlighter,morealive,shapenandelegant。Theroomswerepanelledwithcreamypaintedpanelling,theceilingsweretouchedwithgilt,andeverythingwaskeptinexquisiteorder,alltheappointmentswereperfect,regardlessofexpense。
Eventhecorridorsmanagedtobeampleandlovely,softlycurvedandfulloflife。
ButLeslieWinterwasalone。Hehadadoredhishouse。Buthisparkwasborderedbythreeofhisowncollieries。Hehadbeenagenerousmaninhisideas。Hehadalmostwelcomedthecolliersinhispark。Hadtheminersnotmadehimrich!So,whenhesawthegangsofunshapelymenloungingbyhisornamentalwaters——notintheprivatepartofthepark,no,hedrewthelinethere——hewouldsay:`theminersareperhapsnotsoornamentalasdeer,buttheyarefarmoreprofitable。’
Butthatwasinthegolden——monetarily——latterhalfofQueenVictoria’sreign。Minerswerethen`goodworkingmen’。
Winterhadmadethisspeech,halfapologetic,tohisguest,thethenPrinceofWales。AndthePrincehadreplied,inhisrathergutturalEnglish:
`Youarequiteright。IftherewerecoalunderSandringham,Iwouldopenamineonthelawns,andthinkitfirst-ratelandscapegardening。
Oh,Iamquitewillingtoexchangeroe-deerforcolliers,attheprice。
Yourmenaregoodmentoo,Ihear。’
Butthen,thePrincehadperhapsanexaggeratedideaofthebeautyofmoney,andtheblessingsofindustrialism。
However,thePrincehadbeenaKing,andtheKinghaddied,andnowtherewasanotherKing,whosechieffunctionseemedtobetoopensoup-kitchens。
AndthegoodworkingmenweresomehowhemmingShipleyin。Newminingvillagescrowdedonthepark,andthesquirefeltsomehowthatthepopulationwasalien。Heusedtofeel,inagood-naturedbutquitegrandway,lordofhisowndomainandofhisowncolliers。Now,byasubtlepervasionofthenewspirit,hehadsomehowbeenpushedout。Itwashewhodidnotbelonganymore。Therewasnomistakingit。Themines,theindustry,hadawillofitsown,andthiswillwasagainstthegentleman-owner。Allthecollierstookpartinthewill,anditwashardtoliveupagainstit。Iteithershovedyououtoftheplace,oroutoflifealtogether。
SquireWinter,asoldier,hadstooditout。Buthenolongercaredtowalkintheparkafterdinner。Healmosthid,indoors。Oncehehadwalked,bare-headed,andinhispatent-leathershoesandpurplesilksocks,withConniedowntothegate,talkingtoherinhiswell-bredratherhaw-hawfashion。Butwhenitcametopassingthelittlegangsofcollierswhostoodandstaredwithouteithersaluteoranythingelse,Conniefelthowthelean,well-bredoldmanwinced,wincedasanelegantantelopestaginacagewincesfromthevulgarstare。Thecollierswerenotpersonallyhostile:notatall。Buttheirspiritwascold,andshovinghimout。And,deepdown,therewasaprofoundgrudge。They`workedforhim’。Andintheirugliness,theyresentedhiselegant,well-groomed,well-bredexistence。
`Who’she!’Itwasthedifferencetheyresented。
Andsomewhere,inhissecretEnglishheart,beingagooddealofasoldier,hebelievedtheywererighttoresentthedifference。Hefelthimselfalittleinthewrong,forhavingalltheadvantages。Neverthelessherepresentedasystem,andhewouldnotbeshovedout。
Exceptbydeath。WhichcameonhimsoonafterConnie’scall,suddenly。
AndherememberedCliffordhandsomelyinhiswill。
TheheirsatoncegaveouttheorderforthedemolishingofShipley。
Itcosttoomuchtokeepup。Noonewouldlivethere。Soitwasbrokenup。Theavenueofyewswascutdown。Theparkwasdenudedofitstimber,anddividedintolots。ItwasnearenoughtoUthwaite。Inthestrange,balddesertofthisstill-one-moreno-man’s-land,newlittlestreetsofsemi-detachedswererunup,verydesirable!TheShipleyHallEstate!
WithinayearofConnie’slastcall,ithadhappened。TherestoodShipleyHallEstate,anarrayofred-bricksemi-detached`villas’innewstreets。
Noonewouldhavedreamedthatthestuccohallhadstoodtheretwelvemonthsbefore。
ButthisisalaterstageofKingEdward’slandscapegardening,thesortthathasanornamentalcoal-mineonthelawn。
OneEnglandblotsoutanother。TheEnglandoftheSquireWintersandtheWragbyHallswasgone,dead。Theblottingoutwasonlynotyetcomplete。
Whatwouldcomeafter?Conniecouldnotimagine。Shecouldonlyseethenewbrickstreetsspreadingintothefields,thenewerectionsrisingatthecollieries,thenewgirlsintheirsilkstockings,thenewcollierladsloungingintothePallyortheWelfare。TheyoungergenerationwereutterlyunconsciousoftheoldEngland。Therewasagapinthecontinuityofconsciousness,almostAmerican:butindustrialreally。Whatnext?
Conniealwaysfelttherewasnonext。Shewantedtohideherheadinthesand:or,atleast,inthebosomofalivingman。
Theworldwassocomplicatedandweirdandgruesome!Thecommonpeopleweresomany,andreallysoterrible。Sosheboughtasshewasgoinghome,andsawthecollierstrailingfromthepits,grey-black,distorted,oneshoulderhigherthantheother,slurringtheirheavyironshodboots。Undergroundgreyfaces,whitesofeyesrolling,neckscringingfromthepitroof,shouldersOutofshape。Men!Men!Alas,insomewayspatientandgoodmen。Inotherways,non-existent。Somethingthatmenshouldhavewasbredandkilledoutofthem。Yettheyweremen。Theybegotchildren。Onemightbearachildtothem。Terrible,terriblethought!Theyweregoodandkindly。
Buttheywereonlyhalf,Onlythegreyhalfofahumanbeing。Asyet,theywere`good’。Buteventhatwasthegoodnessoftheirhalfness。Supposingthedeadinthemeverroseup!Butno,itwastooterribletothinkof。
Conniewasabsolutelyafraidoftheindustrialmasses。Theyseemedsoweirdtoher。Alifewithutterlynobeautyinit,nointuition,always`inthepit’。
Childrenfromsuchmen!OhGod,ohGod!
YetMellorshadcomefromsuchafather。Notquite。Fortyyearshadmadeadifference,anappallingdifferenceinmanhood。Theironandthecoalhadeatendeepintothebodiesandsoulsofthemen。
Incarnateugliness,andyetalive!Whatwouldbecomeofthemall?Perhapswiththepassingofthecoaltheywoulddisappearagain,offthefaceoftheearth。Theyhadappearedoutofnowhereintheirthousands,whenthecoalhadcalledforthem。Perhapstheywereonlyweirdfaunaofthecoal-seams。
Creaturesofanotherreality,theywereelementals,servingtheelementsofcoal,asthemetal-workerswereelementals,servingtheelementofiron。
Mennotmen,butanimasofcoalandironandclay。Faunaoftheelements,carbon,iron,silicon:elementals。Theyhadperhapssomeoftheweird,inhumanbeautyofminerals,thelustreofcoal,theweightandbluenessandresistanceofiron,thetransparencyofglass。Elementalcreatures,weirdanddistorted,ofthemineralworld!Theybelongedtothecoal,theiron,theclay,asfishbelongtotheseaandwormstodeadwood。Theanimaofmineraldisintegration!
Conniewasgladtobehome,toburyherheadinthesand。ShewasgladeventobabbletoClifford。ForherfearoftheminingandironMidlandsaffectedherwithaqueerfeelingthatwentalloverher,likeinfluenza。
`OfcourseIhadtohaveteainMissBentley’sshop,’shesaid。
`Really!Winterwouldhavegivenyoutea。’
`Ohyes,butIdaren’tdisappointMissBentley。’MissBentleywasashallowoldmaidwitharatherlargenoseandromanticdispositionwhoservedteawithacarefulintensityworthyofasacrament。
`Didsheaskafterme?’saidClifford。
`Ofcourse!。MayIaskyourLadyshiphowSirCliffordis!——I
believesheranksyouevenhigherthanNurseCavell!’
`AndIsupposeyousaidIwasblooming。’
`Yes!AndshelookedasraptasifIhadsaidtheheavenshadopenedtoyou。IsaidifsheevercametoTevershallshewastocometoseeyou。’
`Me!Whateverfor!Seeme!’
`Whyyes,Clifford。Youcan’tbesoadoredwithoutmakingsomeslightreturn。SaintGeorgeofCappadociawasnothingtoyou,inhereyes。’
`Anddoyouthinkshe’llcome?’
`Oh,sheblushed!andlookedquitebeautifulforamoment,poorthing!
Whydon’tmenmarrythewomenwhowouldreallyadorethem?’
`Thewomenstartadoringtoolate。Butdidshesayshe’dcome?’
`Oh!’ConnieimitatedthebreathlessMissBentley,`yourLadyship,ifeverIshoulddaretopresume!’