Union Canal, land consists partly of buildings known as "potbanks"
(until they come to be sold by auction, when auctioneers describe them
as "extensive earthenware manufactories") and partly of cottages whose
highest rent is four-and-six a week. In such surroundings was an
extraordinary man born. He was the only anxiety of a widowed mother, who
gained her livelihood and his by making up "ladies' own materials" in
ladies' own houses. Mrs Machin, however, had a speciality apart from her
vocation: she could wash flannel with less shrinking than any other
woman in the district, and she could wash fine lace without ruining it;
thus often she came to sew and remained to wash. A somewhat gloomy
woman; thin, with a tongue! But I liked her. She saved a certain amount
of time every day by addressing her son as Denry, instead of Edward
Henry.

Not intellectual, not industrious, Denry would have maintained the
average dignity of labour on a potbank had he not at the age of twelve
won a scholarship from the Board School to the Endowed School. He owed
his triumph to audacity rather than learning, and to chance rather than
design. On the second day of the examination he happened to arrive in
the examination-room ten minutes too soon for the afternoon sitting. He
wandered about the place exercising his curiosity, and reached the
master's desk. On the desk was a tabulated form with names of candidates
and the number of marks achieved by each in each subject of the previous
day. He had done badly in geography, and saw seven marks against his
name, in the geographical column, out of a possible thirty. The figures
had been written in pencil. The pencil lay on the desk. He picked it
up, glanced at the door and at the rows of empty desks, and a neat
"_2_" in front of the _7_; then he strolled innocently forth
and came back late. His trick ought to have been found out--the odds
were against him--but it was not found out. Of course it was dishonest.