"
"And that's as true as if you heard it in church, Master
Waghorn."
"This Diggs seems to be an oppressor of the people," said a
voice from a distant corner of the room.
Master Nixon looked around, smoked, puffed, and then said, "I
should think he wor; as bloody-a-hearted butty as ever
jingled."
"But what business has a butty to keep a shop?" inquired the
stranger. "The law touches him."
"I should like to know who would touch the law," said Nixon;
"not I for one. Them tommy shops is very delicate things;
they won't stand no handling, I can tell you that."
"But he cannot force you to take goods," said the stranger;
"he must pay you in current coin of the realm, if you demand
it."
"They only pay us once in five weeks," said a collier; "and
how is a man to live meanwhile. And suppose we were to make
shift for a month or five weeks, and have all our money
coming, and have no tommy out of the shop, what would the
butty say to me? He would say, 'do you want e'er a note this
time' and if I was to say 'no,' then he would say, 'you've no
call to go down to work any more here.' And that's what I call
forsation."
"Ay, ay," said another collier; "ask for the young queen's
picture, and you would soon have to put your shirt on, and go
up the shaft.
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