Short Measure, by Gerald Brackenbury

An original novel extract set in the twentieth century.

Mr Hollins kept his watch in his hand, not his pocket, so that everyone on the bottling line could see it. He was a small man in a large brown coat, and he walked between the conveyors with his chest pushed out, stopping now and then to snatch up a bottle of dandelion and burdock and hold it against the light, squinting, as though he could spot a missing drop from across the room.

‘Short,’ he said, and banged it down in front of Elsie Barr. ‘That’s twopence off your Friday.’

Elsie opened her mouth and closed it again. Everybody knew the bottle was full. Everybody also knew that Mr Hollins’s brother-in-law was the manager, and that the last girl who had answered back now worked at the laundry.

At ten o’clock he blew his whistle for the tea break exactly one minute late, and at ten past ten he blew it again exactly one minute early. He wrote down the name of a girl who laughed. He wrote down the name of a girl who sneezed.

When the manager came through at noon, Mr Hollins changed. His shoulders dropped, his voice softened and he followed the manager down the line half a step behind, nodding at everything, the watch hidden away in his pocket at last.

After the manager had gone, he stood for a long moment in the doorway of his little cubicle, staring at the floor. Then he took the watch out again, wound it twice and went back to looking for faults.

What impressions does the writer create of Mr Hollins?

You must refer to the language used in the text to support your answer, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.