is sagacity that there was at this moment
a workman in Hillsborough, who must know many secrets of the Trades, and
had now nothing to gain by concealing them.

CHAPTER XVIII.

Thus the attempt to do Little was more successful than it looks. Its
object was to keep Little and Simmons apart, and sure enough those two
men never met again in life.

But, on the other hand, this new crime imbittered two able men against
the Union, and put Grotait in immediate peril. Mr. Ransome conferred
with Mr. Holdfast and they both visited Simmons, and urged him to make a
clean breast before he left the world.

Simmons hesitated. He said repeatedly, "Gi' me time! gi' me time!"

Grotait heard of these visits, and was greatly alarmed. He set Dan
Tucker and another to watch by turns and report.

Messrs. Holdfast and Ransome had an ally inside the house. Eliza Watney
had come in from another town, and had no Hillsborough prejudices. She
was furious at this new outrage on Little, who had won her regard,
and she hoped her brother-in-law would reveal all he knew. Such a
confession, she thought, might remove the stigma from himself to those
better-educated persons, who had made a tool of her poor ignorant
relative.

Accordingly no sooner did the nurse Little had provided inform her, in a
low voice, that there was A CHANGE, than she put on her bonnet, and went
in all haste to Mr. Holdfast, and also to the chief constable, as she
had promised them to do.

But of course she could not go without talking. She met an acquaintance
not far from the door, and told her Ned was near his end, and she was
going to tell the gentlemen.

Dan Tucker stepped up to this woman, and she was as open-mouthed to him
as Eliza had been to her. Dan went directly with the news to Grotait.

Grotait came all in a hurry, but Holdfast was there before him, and was
actually exhorting Simmons to do a good action in his last moments, and
reveal those greater culprits who had employed him, when Grotait, ill at
ease, walked in, sat down at the foot of the bed, and fixed his eye on
Simmons.

Simmons caught sight of him and stared, but said nothing to him. Yet,
when Holdfast had done, Simmons was observed to look at Grotait, though
he replied to the other. "If you was a Hillsbro' man, you'd know we tell
on dead folk, but not on quick. I told on Ned Simmons, because he was as
good as dead; but to tell on Trade, that's different."

"And I think, my poor fellow," su