uld nivver go agen
trade."

"And you would advise me to give up at the command of a set of ignorant
roughs, and make myself their slave instead of master."

"Mester Jacob," said Pannell, "I can't see a bit wi' this towel round my
head; look uppards and downards; any o' the chaps coming?"

"No," I said.

"Then look here, Mester, I will speak if I nivver do again. No, I
wouldn't give up if I was you, not if they did a hundred worse things
than they've done yet. Theer!"

Uncle Jack looked down on the man, and then said quickly:

"And you, what will you do?"

"Get to wuck again, Mester, as soon as I can."

"And the men who beat you like that?"

"Eh, what about 'em?"

"Shall you try and punish them?"

"Punish 'em, Mester! Why, how can I? They punished me."

"But you will turn upon them for this, Pannell, will you not?"

"Nay, Mester; I went again 'em, and they knob-sticked me for it, and
it's all done and over. I shall soon be back at my stithy, if you'll
hev me again."

"Have you! Yes, my man, of course," said Uncle Jack. "I wish we could
have more like you."

"Cob," said Uncle Jack as we strode on and got well out into the
country, "we've got a very strong confederation to fight, and I do not
feel at all hopeful of succeeding; but, there: we've put our hands to
the plough, and we can't look back. Now never mind business, let's
listen to the birds and enjoy the fresh country air for a time."

We were going up the valley, passing every now and then "a wheel" as it
was called, that is a water-wheel, turning a number of grindstones, the
places being remarkably like ours, only that as we got farther out the
people who ground and forged did their work under the shade of trees,
while the birds piped their songs, and air and water were wonderfully
different from what they were about our place on the edge of the great
town.

"Let's get back, Cob," said Uncle Jack despondently. "It makes me
miserable to hear the birds, and see the beauty of the hills and vales,
and the sparkling water, and know that men toiling together in towns can
be such ruffians and so full of cruelty to their fellow creatures."

"And so strong and true and brave and ready to help one another."

"As who are, Cob?" said my uncle.

"Well, for want of thinking of anyone else just now," I said, "there's
poor Pannell; he saved me, and he has just shown us that he is too
faithful to his fellow-workmen to betray them."

Uncle Jack l