Higgs' factory was a mine of delight for the gossips of Birmingham. Itwas a small building, but quite large enough to hold a mystery. Who theproprietor was, or where he came from, none could tell. He looked like agentleman--that was certain--though everybody knew he had risen from anapprenticeship; and he could handle his pen like a writing-master.
Years ago he had suddenly appeared in the place a lad ofeighteen--learned his trade faithfully, and risen in the confidence ofhis employer--been taken in as a partner soon after his time wasup--and, finally, when old Willett died, had assumed the business on hisown hands. This was all that was known of his affairs.
It was a common remark among some of the good people that he never had aword to say to a Christian soul; while others declared that though hespoke beautiful, when he chose to, there was something wrong in hisaccent. A tidy man, too, they called him, all but for having thatscandalous green pond alongside of his factory, which wasn't deep enoughfor an eel, and was "just a fever-nest, as sure as you live."
His nationality was a great puzzle. The English name spoke plain enoughfor _one_ side of his house, but of what manner of nation was hismother? If she'd been an American, he'd certain have had highcheek-bones and reddish skin; if a German, he would have known thelanguage, and Squire Smith declared he didn't; if French (and hishaving that frog-pond made it seem likely) it would come out in hisspeech. No--there was nothing he could be but Dutch. And strangest ofall, though the man always pricked up his ears when you talked ofHolland, he didn't seem to know the first thing about the country whenyou put him to the point.
Anyhow, as no letters ever came to him from his mother's family inHolland, and as nobody living had ever seen old Higgs, the familycouldn't be anything much. Probably Thomas Higgs himself was no betterthan he should be, for all he pretended to carry himself so straight;and for their parts, the gossips declared, they were not going totrouble their heads about him. Consequently Thomas Higgs and his affairswere never-failing subjects of discussion.
Picture, then, the consternation, among all the good people when it wasannounced by "somebody who was there and ought to know," that thepost-boy had that very morning handed Higgs a foreign-looking letter,and the man had "turned as white as the wall; rushed to his factory,talked a bit with one of the head work-men, and without bidding acreature good-bye, was off bag and baggage before you could wink,ma'am." Mistress Scrubbs, his landlady, was in deep affliction. The dearsoul became quite out of breath while speaking of him--"to leavelodgin's in that suddent way, without never so much as a day's warnin'which was what every woman who didn't wish to be trodden underfoot,which thank Hevving wasn't _her_ way, had a perfect right to expect;yes, and a week's warnin' now you mention it, and without even so muchas sayin' many thanks to you, Mistress Scrubbs, for all past kindnesseswhich was most numerous though she said it who shouldn't say it;leastwise she wasn't never no kind of a person to be lookin' for thanksevery minnit--it was really scanderlous, though to be sure Mister 'iggspaid up everythin' to the last farthin' and it fairly brought tears toher eyes to see his dear empty boots lyin' there in the corner of hisroom, which alone showed trouble of mind for he always stood 'em upstraight as solgers though bein' half-soled twice they hadn't of coursebeen worth takin' away."
Whereupon her dearest friend, Miss Scrumpkins, ran home to tell allabout it. And, as everybody knew the Scrumpkinses, a shining gossamer ofnews was soon woven from one end of the street to the other.
An investigating committee met, that evening, at Mrs.Snigham's--sitting, in secret session, over her best china. Thoughinvited only to a quiet "tea," the amount of judicial business theytransacted on the occasion was prodigious. The biscuits were actuallycold before the committee had a chance to eat anything. There was somuch to talk over--and it was so important that it should be firmlyestablished that each member had always been "certain sure thatsomething extraordinary would be happening to that man yet," that it wasnear eight o'clock before Mrs. Snigham gave anybody a second cup.