lived with us nearly eight years, and died
just before their father. They were born in the same hour and died
within five minutes of each other. The Lord gave them, and the Lord took
them away, and blessed be the name of the Lord!' This is about what I
said, John."

The conversation was interrupted here, by the entrance of a parlor-maid.
She said, "Sir, Jonathan Greenwood is here to ask if you can see him
this evening."

"Tell him I cannot. I will see him at the mill about half-past nine in
the morning."

The girl went away, but returned immediately. "Jonathan says, sir, that
will do. He wants to go to a meeting tonight, sir." Then Mrs. Hatton
looked at her son, and exclaimed, "How very kind of your overseer to
make your time do! Is that his usual way?"

"About it. He is a very independent fellow, and he knows no other way of
talking. But father found it worth his while to put up with his free
speech. Jonathan has a knowledge of manufactures and markets which
enables him to protect our interests, and entitles him to speak his mind
in his own way."

"I'm glad the same rule does not go in my kitchen. I have a first-class
cook, but if she asked me for a holiday and I gave her two days and she
said nothing but, 'That will do,' I would tell her to her face I was
giving her something out of my comfort and my pocket, and not something
that would only 'do' in the place of what she wanted. I would show her
my side of the question. I would that."

"For what reason?"

"I would be doing my duty."

"Well, mother, you could not match her and the bits of radicalism she
would give you. Keep the peace, mother; you have not her weapons in your
armory."

"I am just talking to relieve myself, John. I know better than to fratch
with anyone--at least I think I do."

"Just before I went away, mother, Jonathan came to me and said, 'Sir, I
hev confidence in human nature, generally speaking, but there's tricks
and there's turns, and if I was you I would run no risks with them
Manchester Sulbys'. Then he put the Sulby case before me, and if I had
not taken his advice, I would have lost three hundred pounds. It is
Jonathan's way to love God and suspect his neighbor."

"He will find it hard to do the two things at the same time, John."

"I do not understand how John works the problem, mother, but he does it
at least to his own satisfaction. He has told us often in the men's
weekly meeting that he is 'safe religiously, and that all h