THE DEPRIVED... Chapter 3... Part 36.

A continuation of my book.

Nat walked forward and held Fanny, embracing her and kissing her cheek. Next, he offered his hand to Cuthbert and they shook hands with vigour. Beth rose and hugged Fanny, kissing her with a smiling mouth while tears streamed down her cheeks. She too kissed Cuthbert. Nat took out his small tin of snuff and took a pinch on the back of his hand, gravely taking it up his nose before offering the tin to Cuthbert. With this done the excited conversation turned to preparations for the coming journey. Where Fanny and Cuthbert were to travel seemed to be on the other side of the globe, a lifetime away and would surely take over a week of travel and spending nights at the different stations along the way. Fanny prepared a drink of hot punch and the four people saluted each other in a most dignified way.
“Here’s to good luck and many babies!” said Nat.
They charged their glasses, not the once but each offered a salutation to the many aims in life.
“And now.” said Fanny, becoming serious. “I have to tell you, my favourite brother and very best friend that we, Cuthbert and me, intend to remain here till this coming Sunday morning. We intend to sleep together in the rear room leaving you, Nat and Beth, to find your own sleeping time here in the front room.”
Nat remained silent while Beth lowered her eyes to the floor.
“Then I’ll be bringing the other bed in here.” determined Nat. “I’ll put my bed over by the window while Beth shall sleep kindly on the other bed by the fire.”
“Huff and puff!” exclaimed Fanny in exasperation. “I have watched you and Beth look at each other with soft sheep’s eyes and wondered if there aint ever come a time when one of you takes the plunge. So now Cuthbert and me aim to take a bed each in the rear room and leave you and Beth to come to an arrangement. It calls to a time when you are closed in on your loving.”
Saying that Fanny ordered Cuthbert to depart, taking him by the hand and leading him into the back room and closing the door. Beth continued to sit, saying nothing as Nat doused the fire and blew out the candles before stretching out on the blanket he laid on the floor. He undressed under its comfort and without turning bid Beth a firm goodnight. Beth made to her bed and lay in the darkness, her eyes on the dim bulky form on the floor.
“Nat.” she whispered. “Come to bed.”
The bulky shape shifted as Nat sat up.
“Are you in a certainty, Beth ?” came his whispered reply.
“Come to bed, Nat.”
That night Nat and Beth knew their love and expressed the emotion through a closeness only lovers knew.

 

On the Sunday morning came the rush and hurry of travellers who always seem to be unprepared no matter how early in the week the packing starts. The four had been up since sunrise, fetching and finding, packing and tying, parcelling and boxing until the front room seemed to become a mound of cartons and wrappings. Nat and Cuthbert had left the house to find a carriage which would take Fanny and Cuthbert all the way to Victoria coach station, from where they would take the post coach. It was true there was a new form of travel, a steam-horse which twisted and turned in a billowing of white steam, chugging and chuffing and still much too new and evolved as to frighten those who feared its speed would suffocate the breath. In this way did the poor still prefer the post coach and four brave horses, while seated on the top and braving the weather.

At last, with a carriage found and the boxes and parcels aboard it was the turn of the men, Cuthbert and Nat to shake hands in good spirit while Beth and Fanny held onto each other as if their very lives depended on it. With many tears shed and with Nat kissing Fanny as did Cuthbert kiss Beth, the carriage and occupants went with a clattering and sparking as hooves and metal wheels took the carriage out of sight down the cobbled street.

Nat, being far less emotional and more sensible than Beth considered the idea of taking in another lodger, one who might have the rear room.
“And it has to be someone we can trust, dear Nat.” added Beth who understood that with only two left to pay the rent it would be hard unless they became more frugal to the purse or sought smaller and less fancy living quarters.
“For this moment let’s not worry about a rentage and content ourselves with only sharing each to the other.” suggested Nat, turning to hug Beth tightly.

The seeking of a new lodger to share the rooms was settled by a jump of coincidence when the landlord, the genial Mr. Yates, entered into a conversation that he would have a niece coming to stay for a while and would need to find suitable lodgings.
Having met the small excitable lady of some middling years it was arranged between Nat and Mr. Yates that his niece, Miss Annie Sommerby, should have the rear room at a considerably reduced rent. And in this way the lives of Beth and Nat settled down to work and love.

 

Stanbridge had found that the managerial position suited her very well, so much so that in a strange way the promotion caused her to calm her speech and actions so that she became more considerate to the girls who worked at the factory. While she tried not to snarl her words, the fact that her lips would not close over her teeth made it awkward for her not to snarl and so she gave in to this part of her manner and spoke in a quieter tone for compensation.
“You will be late.” she said, coming out from her office in time to catch Beth who was hurrying up the stairs.
“I’m sorry.” replied Beth, clutching at her mouth. “I have a terrible tooth-ache and need to see the Doctor.”
“Let me see.” said Stanbridge, taking Beth’s hands away from her mouth and opening the lips to examine the receding gums which now exposed blackened buckles.
“It’s the phosphorus.” explained Stanbridge. “It rots the enamel and flesh from the bones. You won’t be able to see the Doctor till dinner time and even then you had better get down there quickly because there is always a queue of girls waiting to have their teeth out. Now hurry girl and get to work otherwise you will be fined for lateness.”

Beth stood at her workplace and continued to dip the sticks into the chemicals, trying to forget the pain which seemed to tear into her mind each time she bent to grasp more sticks. The pain was so intense that Beth did not spare the time to think of the way the teeth would be extracted, to remember the times when some of the girls had returned to work after dinner with blood pouring from their mouths, the lips puckered in by the loss of the teeth. Some girls never returned to work, not able to take the pain and fainting away and then to be removed from the job, to be quickly replaced by a new girl who was happy to earn the sum of three shillings a week. Like all times which need advancing to insure a happier time the large clock on the wall seemed to tick while the hands remained stationary. Beth forced herself to work on, keeping her mind away from the pain even though she could not stop her tongue from exploring the loosened teeth to the front and each time sending a jangled nerve of pain to the mind. At last the hooter sounded for dinner and Beth hurried as fast as she might down the stairs and into the deeper basement where the Doctor held his office. Already there were four girls in front of Beth, each with their shawl pulled up to stop a damp air from entering the mouth. Two of the girls had the beginnings of decay to the lower jaw, the sores weeping openly and as is the case while one might see the results in the faces of others one might never accept that one’s face is suffering from the same disfigurement. Beth automatically held her shawl up to cover the lower part of her mouth.

One by one the girls moved forward in the queue, each flinching as the flimsy door to the surgery could not muffle the cries from those inside who were having their teeth drawn out by the roots. Beth listened to the screams which seemed to become louder as each girl moved along and then went in till she was next. Her nerve failed her at the last second and she rose to leave. It was at that time the door to the surgery opened and the Doctor appeared, his white coat splattered with blood.
“Next” he shouted, looking at her.