ght to burn us down; yet, of course, nobody was more
shocked and scandalised than Levi when he heard about it. And until the
boy's come over to your side, he'll do well not to listen to the
seditious old dog."

"Keep him out of the hackling shop, then. Tell him he's not to go
there."

Best shook his head.

"The very thing to send him. He's like that. He'd smell a rat very quick
if he was ordered not to see Baggs. And then he'd haunt Baggs. I shan't
trust the boy a yard, you understand. You mustn't ask me to do that
after the past. But I'm hopeful that his feeling for the craft will lift
him up and make him straight. To a craftsman, his work is often more
powerful for salvation than his faith. In fact, his work is his faith;
and from the way things run in the blood, I reckon that Sabina's son
might rise into a spinner."

"I don't want anything of that sort to happen, and I'm sure she
doesn't."

"There's a hang-dog look in his eyes I'd like to see away," confessed
John. "He's been mismanaged, I reckon, and hasn't any sense of
righteousness yet. All for justice he is, so I hear he tells Mister
Churchouse. Many are who don't know the meaning of the word. I'll do
what I can when he comes here."

"He's old for his age in some ways and young in others," explained
Raymond. "I feel nothing much can be done till he gets friendly with
me."

"You're doing all any man could do."

"At some cost too, John. You, at any rate, can understand what a
ghastly situation this is. There seems no end to it."

"Consequences often bulk much bigger than causes," said Best. "In fact,
to our eyes, consequences do generally look a most unfair result of
causes; as a very small seed will often grow up into a very big tree.
You'll never find any man, or woman, satisfied with the price they're
called to pay for the privilege of being alive. And in this lad's case,
him being built contrary and not turned true--warped no doubt by the
accident of his career--you've got to pay a far heavier price than you
would have been called to pay if you'd been his lawful begetter. But
seeing the difficulty lies in the boy's nature alone, we'll hope that
time will cure it, when he's old enough to look ahead and see which side
his bread's buttered, if for no higher reason."

Ironsyde left the Mill depressed; indeed, Abel's recurring holidays
always did depress him. As yet no hoped-for sign of reconciliation could
be chronicled.

To-day, however, a gleam ap