Frances Hodgson Burnett 
‘Surly Tim’ 
A Lancashire Story

‘Surly Tim’ is a novel by the famous writer Frances Hodgson Burnett, known for her children novels, particularly ‘The Secret Garden’. It is the story of a young heir who returns to Lancashire to take control of his father’s spinning factory. As he settles down to run the factory he makes the acquaintance of the workers, and he soon notices one odd worker, nick named ‘Surly Tim’, who keeps himself aloof from the other workers. His curiosity about the man leads him to watch Tim closely and he discovers his kind hearted nature albeit tempered with a sadness on a matter he is unwilling to share. But a chance meeting one night between the boss and his worker may prove to be quite revealing…