"Sarvice to you, sir. My
mother!--dying! Well, I suppose she be, slowly, like the rest of us."

"But what have you been doing?" I cried. "What a state you are in!"

"State I'm in! Yow should have seen me a fortnit ago, my lad. I'm
splendid now--coming round fast."

"But how was it?" cried Uncle Jack, while I turned white as I seemed to
see it all.

"How was it, Mester!" said Pannell laughing. "Well, you see, I weer
heving bit of a walluck, wi' my pipe in my mooth, and it being bit dusk
like that night I didn't see which way I were going, and run my head
again some bits o' wood."

"Sticks!" I said excitedly.

He turned his head towards me smiling.

"Couldn't see rightly as to that, Mester Jacob," he said; "I dessay they
weer."

"And a set of cowards had hold of them!" I cried.

"Nay, I can't say," replied the great fellow. "Yow see, Mester, when
owt hits you on the head it wuzzles you like, and you feel maazed."

Uncle Jack stood frowning.

"You know very well, Pannell," I cried angrily, "that you have been set
upon by some of these treacherous cowards for helping me that evening.
Oh, Uncle Jack!" I cried, passionately turning to him, "why don't you
go to the police?"

"Howd thee tongue, lad!" cried Pannell fiercely. "Yow don't know nowt
about it. Don't yow do nowt o' t' sort, Mester. Let well alone, I
say."

"But I cannot stand still and see these outrages committed," said Uncle
Jack in a low angry voice.

"Hey, but thou'lt hev to, 'less you give up maakin' 'ventions. Trade
don't like 'em, and trade will hev its say."

"But that you should have been so brutally used for doing a manly action
for this boy," began Uncle Jack.

"Theer, theer, theer," said Pannell; "I don't kick agen it. I s'pected
they'd do some'at. I know'd it must coom. Chap as breaks the laws has
to tek his bit o' punishment. Chaps don't bear no malice. I'm comin'
back to work next week."

"Look here," said Uncle Jack, who was a good deal moved by the man's
calm patience, "what are we to do to come to terms with the workmen, and
have an end to these outrages?"

"Oh, that's soon done," replied Pannell, rubbing one great muscular arm
with his hand, "yow've just got to give up all contrapshions, and use
reg'lar old-fashioned steel, and it'll be all right."

"And would you do this, my man?" said Uncle Jack, looking down at the
great muscular fellow before him.

"Ay, I'd do it for sake o' peace and quiet. I sho