d by."

When they got to the house, Jobson told him to sit down, and asked
him, in a smooth and well-modulated voice, what was the nature of the
business. This query, coming from him, who had set the stone rolling
that bade fair to crush him, rather surprised Henry. He put his hand
into his pocket, and produced the threatening note, but said nothing as
to the time or manner of its arrival.

Mr. Jobson perused it carefully, and then returned it to Henry. "What
have we to do with this?" and he looked quite puzzled.

"Why, sir, it is the act of your Union."

"You are sadly misinformed, Mr. Little. WE NEVER THREATEN. All we do
is to remind the master that, if he does not do certain things, certain
other things will probably be done by us; and this we wrap up in the
kindest way."

"But, sir, you wrote to Cheetham against me."

"Did we? Then it will be in my letter-book." He took down a book,
examined it, and said, "You are quite right. Here's a copy of the
letter. Now surely, sir, comparing the language, the manners, and
the spelling, with that of the ruffian whose scrawl you received this
morning--"

"Then you disown the ruffian's threat?"

"Most emphatically. And if you can trace it home, he shall smart for
interfering in our business."

"Oh, if the trade disowns the blackguard, I can despise him. But
you can't wonder at my thinking all these letters were steps of the
same--yes, and Mr. Bayne thought so too; for he said this was the
regular routine, and ends in DOING a poor fellow for gaining his bread."

Mr. Jobson begged to explain.

"Many complaints are brought to us, who advise the trades. When they
are frivolous, we are unwilling to disturb the harmony of employers and
workmen; we reason with the complainant, and the thing dies away. When
the grievance is substantial, we take it out of the individual's hands
and lay it before the working committee. A civil note is sent to the
master; or a respectable member of the committee calls on him, and urges
him to redress the grievance, but always in kind and civil terms. The
master generally assents: experience has taught him it is his wisest
course. But if he refuses, we are bound to report the refusal to a
larger committee, and sometimes a letter emanates from them, reminding
the master that he has been a loser before by acts of injustice, and
hinting that he may be a loser again. I do not quite approve this form
of communication. But certainly it has often pre