Abijah had just come downstairs with the news
that her mistress had fallen asleep.

"I should not think any one more will come, Harriet, but I will get you
to stop here for a little longer. Then we must fasten up the knocker
and take off the bell. The doctor says that it is all important that my
mother should get a long and undisturbed sleep."

Dr. Green came in again in the evening, and had a long chat with Ned. It
was nearly midnight before Mrs. Mulready awoke. On opening her eyes she
saw Ned sitting at a short distance from the sofa. She gave a sudden
start, and then a look of terror came into her face.

Ned rose to his feet and held out his arms with the one word "Mother!"

Mrs. Mulready slid from the sofa and threw herself on her knees with her
hands clasped.

"Oh! my boy, my boy!" she cried, "can you forgive me?"

Then, as he raised her in his arms, she fainted.

It was a happy party, indeed, that assembled round the breakfast table
next morning. Mrs. Mulready was at the head of the table making
tea, looking pale and weak, but with a look of quiet happiness and
contentment on her face such as her children had never seen there
before, but which was henceforth to be its habitual expression.

Ned did not carry out his original intention of entering the army. Mr.
Simmonds warmly offered to make the application for a commission for
him, but Ned declined. He had made up his mind, he said, to stick to
the mill; there was plenty of work to be done there, and he foresaw that
with a continued improvement of machinery there was a great future for
the manufacturing interests of England.

The Luddite movement gradually died out. The high rewards offered for
the discovery of the murderers of Mr. Horsfall and of the assailants of
Cartwright's mill had their effect. Three croppers, Mellor, Thorpe and
Smith, were denounced and brought to trial. All three had been concerned
in the murder, together with Walker, who turned king's evidence for the
reward--Mellor and Thorpe having fired the fatal shots. The same men had
been the leaders in the attack on Cartwright's mill.

They were tried at the assizes at York on the 2d of January, 1813, with
sixty-four of their comrades, before Baron Thomas and Judge Le Blanc,
and were found guilty, although they were defended by Henry (afterward
Lord) Brougham. Mellor, Thorpe, and Smith were executed three days
afterward. Fourteen of the others were hung, as were five Luddites who
were t