, and wants to go
into the dear old dye-rooms to see lovely new shades!' cried her uncle.

Sarah only laughed, as her uncle called old Matthew, the foreman, and
told him to take Miss Clay to the dye-rooms and show her all she wished
to see, and take care she didn't get her skirts dyed.

'Well, George, anything wrong?' he asked as the door shut upon Sarah, who
went off talking in a most friendly manner with old Matthew, and the
uncle and nephew were left alone.

'That's what I came to you about,' said George.

Mr William Howroyd looked at his nephew doubtfully. He did not understand
him at any time, and this morning the young man spoke in his usual lazy
tones, so that his uncle did not know whether George was in any trouble
or not; for, as he argued to himself, 'the boy never did show feelings,
so that he might be in love or debt or goodness knows what scrape, and
yet talk like that;' and Mr William Howroyd had a deeply rooted
conviction that all young men did at the universities was to get into
mischief of some sort. So he said, 'Come, George, be frank with me. Have
you got into any mess? You know if you have I'll be ready to do all I can
to get you out of it.'

The young man looked gratefully at his uncle as he replied in his
pleasant tones, 'I'm sure you would, uncle, and there's no one I'd sooner
come to if I wanted help; but I'm in no mess that I know of. It was
only'--he hesitated--'something in your manner last night that made me
think there was trouble at the mill either present or looming ahead. I
know my father is not popular.'

Mr Howroyd looked a little surprised for a moment; then he said
cheerfully, 'Dismiss that notion from your mind. I was a little put out
last night by something I heard, and I dare say I said all sorts of
disagreeable, sharp things; but there's no danger for your father any
more than there is for all of us. Business is not like a profession; you
gain more, but you stand to lose more, and it's not so certain as the
law, for example. So, if you'll take my advice, you'll go back and study
hard, and have a profession at your finger-tips; it never comes amiss to
any of us, and there's no harm done if you never follow it.' Then he
changed the conversation, and began talking of other things, and was
surprised to find what a pleasant and intelligent companion his nephew
could be. 'Why, I'd no idea you took such an interest in the heavy
woollen trade. It's almost a pity you're not going int