ving machine twist them into a soft cord, and then
that a mule or a throstle would spin the roving into yarn, and the yarn
would go to the weaving-rooms, where a thousand wonderful machines would
turn them into miles and miles of calico; the machines doing all the
hard work, while women and girls adjusted and supplied them with the
material.

It was to the great weaving-room John went first. As soon as he stood in
the open door he was seen and in a moment, as if by magic, the looms
were silenced, and the women and girls were on their feet, looking at
him with eager, pleasant faces. John lifted his hat and said good
morning and a shout of welcome greeted him. Then at some signal the
looms resumed their noisy work and the women lifted the chorus from some
opera which they had been singing at John's entrance, and "t' master's
visit" was over.

He went next to his office, and Jonathan brought his daybook and
described, in particular detail, the commercial occurrences which had
made the mills' history during his absence. Not all of them were
satisfactory, and John passed nothing by as trivial. Where interferences
had been made with his usual known methods, he rebuked and revoked them;
and in one case where Jonathan had disobeyed his order he insisted on an
apology to the person injured by the transaction.

"I told Clough," he said, "that he should have what credit would put him
straight. You, Jonathan, have been discounting and cutting him down on
yarns. You had no authority to do this. I don't like it. It cannot be."

"Well, sir, I was looking out for you. Clough will never straight
himself. Yarns are yarns, and yarns are up in the market; we can use all
we hev ourselves. Clough hes opinions not worth a shilling's credit.
They are all wrong, sir."

"His opinions may be wrong, his life is right."

"Why, sir, he's nothing but a Radical or a Socialist."

"Jonathan, I don't bring politics into business."

"You're right, sir. When I see any of our customers bothering with
politics, I begin to watch for their names in t' bankruptcy list. Your
honorable father, sir, could talk with both Tories and Radicals and fall
out with neither. Then he would pick up his order-book, and forget what
side he'd taken or whether he hed been on any side or not."

"Write to Clough and tell him you were sorry not to fill his last order.
Say that we have now plenty of yarns and will be glad to let him have
whatever he wants."

"Very well,