CHAP. V. EDUCATION OF HIS SON ROBERT. 01 



It is true his earnings were comparatively small at 

 that time. He was still maintaining his infirm parents ; 

 and the cost of living continued excessive. But he fell 

 back, as before, upon his old expedient of working up 

 his spare time in the evenings at home, or during the 

 night shifts when it was his turn to tend the engine, in 

 mending and making shoes, cleaning clocks and watches, 

 making shoe-lasts for the shoemakers of the neighbour- 

 hood, and cutting out the pitmen's clothes for their 

 wives; and we have been told that to this day there 

 are clothes worn at Killingworth made after " Geordy 

 Steevie's cut." To give his own words : " In the 

 earlier period of my career," said he, "when Eobert 

 was a little boy, I saw how deficient I was in education, 

 and I made up my mind that he should not labour under 

 the same defect, but that I would put him to a good 

 school, and give him a liberal training. I was, however, 

 a poor man; and how do you think I managed? I 

 betook myself to mending my neighbours' clocks and 

 watches at nights, after my daily labour was done, and 

 thus I procured the means of educating my son." L 



By dint of such extra labour in his bye-hours, with 

 this object, Stephenson contrived to save a sum of 100/., 

 which he accumulated in guineas, each of which he after- 

 wards sold to Jews who went about buying up gold 

 coins (then dearer than silver), .at twenty-six shillings 

 apiece ; and he lent out the proceeds at interest. He 

 was now, therefore, a comparatively thriving man. The 

 first guinea which he had saved with so much difficulty 

 at Black Callerton had proved the nest-egg of future 

 guineas ; and the habits of economy and sobriety which 

 he had so early cultivated, now enabled him to secure a 

 firmer foothold in the world, and to command the in- 

 creased esteem and respect of his fellow-workmen and 

 employers. 



1 Speech at Newcastle, on the 18th celebration of the opening of tne New- 

 of June, 1844, at the meeting held in castle and Darlington Railway. 



