and then the men made a
stretcher, and they are bringing whoever it is to Ousebank,' said Sarah.

'God forbid that any life has been lost! Let me know what it is as soon
as you know. I can't leave the mills till father comes back, and I don't
know that I shall even then. I think I'm wanted here.'

'I wish I could be there with you!' exclaimed Sarah.

'You've got to stay where you are and look after mother. How is she?'
inquired George.

'She's all right. At least, she sits quite quietly, and says it's God's
will, and that she doesn't care as long as she has all of us. But it's
very dull here. Women always do have the dull work to do in this world,'
observed Sarah.

'They think they have; but I don't think you'd be much better off here;
it's not particularly lively being with a lot of sulky foreigners who
won't talk to you.'

'How can they if they're foreigners?' protested Sarah.

'They can talk French all right, some of them; but they won't answer me
in their own language,' said George.

'I dare say they don't understand your French,' said Sarah.

But George declined to notice this insulting remark. Sarah was evidently
called away from the telephone, and ring as he might he could get no
answer from her or any one at Howroyd's. He tried to get on to the
office, but was told that Howroyd's was 'playing,' as they say in the
north country, because the most of the men were at Balmoral. So there
was nothing for it but to possess his soul in patience, and watch the men
at their dinner-hour eating bacon and haricot beans, and a kind of soup
made out of George could not imagine what, seeing that the cooks had no
vegetables to make it with, and drinking wine and water.

'They seem to enjoy their food,' George remarked to Ben the gate-keeper.

'Yes, sir, they do; and a little seems to go a long way with them. But
listen to them now that their tongues are loosened! Goodness only knows
what they are saying, but they seem excited enough. I'd give a good deal
to understand their jargon,' replied Ben.

'It's Flemish, I fancy. Anyway, I can't understand it. I wish I had some
one to send to Howroyd's. I suppose it wouldn't be safe for one of you to
leave the gate?' said George.

'Safe or not, I daren't risk it. The master's orders were not to leave it
without his permission, if I wanted to stay with him. But I shouldn't
worry, sir; ill news travels apace, and if there were anything wrong
you'd have heard it soon enough,' s