the whole of that time; and as but I think you are right," as coal was naturally unobtain ported sufficient to supply the able in the village, he imneeds of the whole community. Not a house in Cherry Hill sented his Lordship. Mr Crisp nodded. Sir Nigel Thompson looked lacked its kitchen fire or its up from his seventh envelope Sunday dinner during all those with a contented sigh. weeks. That was before the "I have it at last," he said. days of the Employers' Liabil- "It's a perfectly simple solu ity, gentlemen! If a similar tion, really, but the obvious disaster were to occur to-day, often escapes one's notice owing I doubt if Sir Nigel here would to its very proximity. The eye feel morally bound to do any- is looking further afield. Eh thing for such an independent what? My decision? I agree and self-sufficient community. implicitly with you, Jack-that And this vigilant counsellor collected his envelopes and stuffed them into his pocket. The chairman continued venience here." The deputation rose and filed solemnly from the room, and the Board were left alone. Presently Mr Aymer observed timidly "Montague?" you "Before I answer that question," began Mr Montague, “I should like to protetht-protest, I mean-against the arbitrary manner in which conducted this meeting, Mr Chairman. You have taken the case out of our hands in a manner which I consider most unwarrantable; and, speaking as the actual employer of the two men Juggernaut swung rather deliberately round in his you chair. "Mr Chairman, don't think we might let Conlin stay, and content ourselves with dismissing Murton?" "Afraid not," said Jugger- for a meeting of directors to naut. "It's a bit hard on Conlin, but we have to consider "Bad luck on the poor devil, "you got yourself into a hole, "Mr Montague," he said, and you called-no, howled agitators settled down in your come and pull you out. These district because they knew that it was the most fertile district to work in. You are considered, rightly, the worst employer of labour here. You are greedy, unscrupulous, and tyrannical. It is men like you who discredit Capital in the eyes of Labour, and make conciliatory dealing between master and man almost an impossibility. We have bolstered you up through a very difficult crisis, sitting here and putting those poor fellows, five of whom are infinitely more honest than you are, quite undeservedly in the wrong, and imperilling our immortal souls by whitewashing such employers as you. Accept the situation and be thankful!" It is said that hard words break no bones. Still, if you happen to be a member of a race which has endured hard words (to say nothing of broken bones) for twenty centuries, and when the hard words on this particular occasion are delivered by a large man with angry blue eyes and a tongue like a whip-lash, you may be forgiven for losing your nerve a little. Mr Montague lost his. He flapped his ringed hands feebly, mumbled incoherently, and was understood to withdraw his objections unconditionally. "Mr Amos Entwistle," announced a clerk at the door. Entwistle junior re-entered the room. "I am commissioned to inform you, Mr Chairman," he said, "that we acquiesce in your decision; but under protest. I should like to add, gentlemen," he continued, less formally but none the less earnestly, "that the Committee are very much dissatisfied with the result of the interview. I am afraid you haven't heard the last of this trouble. Good-day, and thank you, gentlemen!" "What does it all mean? Strike-eh?" inquired Lord Kirkley, as he and Juggernaut descended the stairs together five minutes later. "Perhaps. If so, we'll fight." "Righto-I'm on! I say, it was pretty smart of you finding out where those private supplies of theirs came from last time. We shall be able to put the lid on that sort of thing in future-what?" Juggernaut nodded, but said no more. Mr Crisp, Sir Nigel Thompson, and Mr Aymer walked across to the latter's offices for luncheon. Mr Montague had gone home to lunch by himself. He usually did so. "The chairman arrived at the meeting in the nick of time," said the lawyer. "Kirkley would have been no match for Winch." "The chairman was very inflexible," sighed Mr Aymer, with all a weak man's passion for compromise. "He has a way of brushing aside obstacles which can only be described as Napoleonic. Is he always within his rights from a legal point of view?" "From a legal point of view, practically never," said the lawyer simply. "From a common-sense point of view, practically always." "He is a hard man-as hard as flint," mused Mr Aymer. "I wonder if he has a soft side to him anywhere. I wonder, for instance, how he would treat a woman.' "I wonder," said Mr Crisp. CHAPTER The first Rectory opened on was the FOUR-THE DEVIL A MONK WOULD BE. member of the household whose eyes Sunday morning himself, who Rector were derived rather from men tal vacuity than nobility of promptly arose and repaired to character; for with the de the church, ,there to conduct the portment of an hidalgo he early morning service. The se- combined the intelligence of a cond was a certain Mr Dawks, permanent official. who has not Dawks; previously been His name, as already men mentioned in this narrative. tioned, was Mr Dawks, but he He was a dog. The term may responded with equal amiainclude almost anything, which bility to "Angel Child" or is perhaps fortunate for Mr "Beautiful One" (Daphne); otherwise it might "Flea-Club" (Ally); "Puss, have been necessary to class puss!" (Nicky); and "Tankhim under some more elastic Engine" (Stiffy), to whose heading. Of his ancestry mechanical mind bandy legs nothing was known, though and laboured breathing sugmany conjectures could have gested a short wheel-base and been made, and most of them leaky outside-cylinders. would have been correct. He had been found lying half-dead in a country lane by Daphne six years ago, and though mistaken at the time for a derelict to the study. The Rector was monkey jettisoned from some frequently to be found there migratory hurdy-gurdy, had early in the morning, and were subsequently proved to be a mongrel puppy of a few months some dusty volume, there might he not too deeply absorbed in old. Regular meals and ripen- be biscuits. But the room was ing years had developed him empty. Mr Dawks laboriously into a sort of general epitome remounted the staircase and of all the dogs that ever ex- scratched delicately at his misisted. He possessed points tress's bedroom door. Mr Dawks, having arisen from his nightly resting-place outside Daphne Vereker's bed room door, strolled downstairs which, exhibited individually, would have gained many marks Daphne, in dressing-gown and He was admitted, and found at Cruft's Dog-Show. His tail slippers, preparing for her would have increased the market value of a Chow fourfold; which she doubled the parts Sunday morning round, in his shoulders and forelegs would of what is known in the North have done credit to a prize bull- of England as a "knocker-up" terrier; his ears would have in- and mistress of the wardrobe; flated the self-esteem of the for the week's clean garments silkiest spaniel in existence; were always distributed on and his lower jaw would have been regarded as an asset by forth together. these occasions. The pair set "All right," said Cilly resignedly. "I suppose I can pay her out some other way." "I wouldn't, if I were you," advised the elder sister. "She'll only wait till she gets you and Bobby together, and then say something awful. It's your own fault, dear. own fault, dear. You do ask for it, you know." After a tap at her father's sniff the house down to-mordoor, answered by a melodious row." "Good morning, daughter!" which showed that the Rector had returned from his ministrations, Daphne proceeded to the regions above. Here upon the landing she encountered her youngest sister, who ought properly to have been dressing in the bedroom which she shared with Cilly. Instead, she was sitting resignedly outside the door upon a bundle composed of her Sabbath garments. As she was obviously posing for the excitation of sympathy, Daphne ignored her and passed into the bedroom, where the window-blind was flapping in the breeze and Cilly lay in a condition of almost total eclipse (if we except a long tawny pig-tail) under the bed-clothes. Cilly, whose flirtations were more numerous than discreet, sighed deeply, and rolled a pair of large and dreamy eyes upon her sister. "Daph, don't you ever fall in love with men? Wellboys, if you like!" she continued, parrying an unspoken comment. "I know I do overdo it a bit; but you-well, you never do it at all. Don't you love to feel them edging up to you, and getting pink in the face, and trying to think of things to say to you, and offering to take you 66 No," said Daphne decidedly; "they bore me. Barring dad and Mr Dawks and the boys, I have no use for males. Besides, I'm always too busy to bother with them: they waste so much of your time. Now, my child, if you want "Bobby Gill, I suppose," re- any breakfast you had better marked Daphne calmly. get up. I must go and see the boys." with Cilly's countenance reappeared, rosily flushed healthy sleep and maiden modesty. "Yes." She departed, and with a passing admonition to Nicky to abandon her eleemosynary vigil and be sure to wash her neck, continued on her way, still accompanied by the faithful Dawks, to the chamber occupied by her two youngest brothers. Here peace reigned. Stiffy, one of whose chief joys in life terring-" by other business; was the Railway study of System, the British from Auto but I shall be back in a minute." Then, unwinding the stocking matic Couplings to Newspaper from about his neck Specials, ously was sitting up in bed "Daphne, those new vests with an old Bradshaw, labori- are beastly scratchy. Must I ascertain ing by how many routes and with how few changes maniac the ordinary railway might the room Anthony, the with travel from wear them?" "I know, old man," responded his sister sympathetically. "But they've been bought and Merthyr Tydvil to Stockton- paid for-horribly dear, too!— on-Tees. At the other end of so you must lump it. Try ever-occupied wearing them inside out for a his night-shirt time. That takes the edge off for a surplice and a stocking a bit." for a stole, was standing by an And thus, with sage counsel open grave (the hearthrug) re- and practical suggestion (tohearsing the opening passages gether with a brief whistle to of the Service for the Burial Mr Dawks, who was moistening of the Dead,-an exercise to his internal clay at the waterwhich, in common with various jug), our young Minerva passed other ecclesiastical offices, he on to the sleeping-place of her was much addicted. beloved Ally. Daphne, having kissed Stiffy and gravely given her verdict upon a knotty point which was exercising that scrupulous youth's mind, namely, whether it was permissible by the rules of the game to include in his schedule of connections a train Rather to her surprise, Mr Aloysius Vereker was awake and out of bed. The reason was plain. Before him upon the dressing-table lay a pot of shaving-soap of a widely advertised brand, a new shavingbrush, a sixpenny bottle of Thursdays Only, bay rum, and a lather dish of handed him his weekly dole of red indiarubber,-youthful exclean linen and turned to the travagances to which the youngest member of the family. hardened shaver of twenty "Good-morning, Tony dear," years' standing, who smears she said cheerfully. which ran on The celebrant, who, true artist Windsor out of the soap-dish himself with ordinary Brown that he was, disliked unnecessary and wipes his razor on a piece abruptness in his transitions, of newspaper or the windowstopped short in the Ninetieth curtain, looks back with mingled hand gleamed a new razor. amusement and regret. In his Psalm. "Dearly Beloved Brethren," he gabbled in an apologetic undertone, "I am called for a moment from the side of this the last resting-place of our lamented sister"-apparently it was a lady friend he was in "Careful!" he gasped through the room, kid!" a sea of lather. "Don't shake upon the bed, and surveyed the Daphne sat cautiously down operator with unfeigned pride |