personally you have no grievance against him?" Mr. Maitland had
the air of a man who has scored a bull at the first shot.

"Ay, A have an' the men tae--the men I represent have--"

"And you assume to speak for them?"

"They appoint me to speak for them."

"And their complaint is--?"

"Their complaint is that he is no fit to be a foreman."

"Ah, indeed! And you are here solely on their word--"

"No, not solely, but pairtly. A know by experience and A hae har-r-d the
man, and he's no fit for his job, A'm tellin' you."

"I suppose you know the qualifications of a foreman, McNish?" enquired
Mr. Maitland with the suspicion of sarcasm in his voice.

"Ay, A do that."

"And how, may I ask, have you come to the knowledge?"

"A dinna see--I do not see the bearing of the question."

"Only this, that you and those you represent place your judgment as
superior to mine in the choice of a foreman. It would be interesting to
know upon what grounds."

"I have been a foreman myself. But there are two points of view in this
question--the point of view of the management and that of the worker. We
have the one point of view, you have the other. And each has its value.
Ours is the more important."

"Indeed! And why, pray?"

"Yours has chiefly to do with profits, ours with human life."

"Very interesting indeed," said Mr. Maitland, "but it happens that
profits and human life are somewhat closely allied--"

"Aye, but wi' you profits are the primary consideration and humanity the
secondary. Wi' us humanity is the primary."

"Very interesting, indeed. But I must decline your premise. You are a
new man here and so I will excuse you the impudence of charging me with
indifference to the well-being of my men."

"You put wur-r-ds in my mouth, Mr. Maitland. A said nae sic thing,"
said McNish. "But your foreman disna' know his place, and he must be
changed."

"'Must,' eh?" The word had never been used to Mr. Maitland since his own
father fifty years before had used it. It was an unfortunate word for
the success of the interview. "'Must,' eh?" repeated Mr. Maitland with
rising wrath. "I'd have you know, McNish, that the man doesn't live that
says 'must' to me in regard to the men I choose to manage my business."

"Then you refuse to remove yere foreman?"

"Most emphatically, I do," said Mr. Maitland with glints of fire in his
blue eyes.

"Verra weel, so as we know yere answer. There is anither matter."

"Yes? Well, be quic