"Well, then," pursued Firmstone, "just look over this statement. Read it
out loud."

Luna took the paper offered him, and began to read.

"What do you make out of that?" Firmstone was looking straight into the
foreman's eyes.

Luna tried his best to return the look, but his eyes dropped.

"I don't know," he stammered.

"Then I'll tell you. Not that I need to, but I want you to understand
that I know. It means that out of every ton of ore that was delivered to
this mill in May thirteen dollars and forty-five cents have been
stolen."

Luna fairly gasped. He was startled by the statement to a cent of the
amount stolen. He and his confederates had been compelled to take
Pierre's unvouched statements. Therefore he could not controvert the
figures, had he chosen. He did not know the amount.

"There must have been a mistake, sir."

"Mistake!" Firmstone blazed out. "What do you say to this?"

He pulled a canvas from the sacks of ore that had been brought to the
office. He expected to see Luna collapse entirely. Instead, a look of
astonishment spread over the foreman's face.

"I'll give up!" he exclaimed. He looked Firmstone squarely in the face.
He saw his way clearly now. "You're right," he said. "There has been
stealing. It's up to me. I'll fire anyone you say, or I'll quit myself,
or you can fire me. But, before God, I never stole a dollar from the
Rainbow mill." He spoke the literal truth. The spirit of it did not
trouble him.

Firmstone was astonished at the man's affirmations, but they did not
deceive him, nor divert him from his purpose.

"I'm not going to tell you whom to let out or take in," he replied. "I'm
holding you responsible. I've told you a good deal, but not all, by a
good long measure. This stealing has got to stop, and you can stop it.
You would better stop it. Now go back to your work."

That very night Firmstone wrote a full account of the recovery of the
stolen ore, the evils which he found on taking charge of the property,
the steps which he proposed for their elimination. He closed with these
words:

"It must be remembered that these conditions have had a long time in
which to develop. At the very least, an equal time must be allowed for
their elimination; but I believe that I shall be successful."

CHAPTER VI

_The Family Circle_

On the morning of Elise's strike for freedom, Pierre came to breakfast
with his usual atmosphere of compressed wrath. He glanced at his
break