\"i do not think that i hāve any occasion to consider your specialreligious opinions in the affair. all i meant to say is, that there is nohuman law to prevent the employers from utterly wasting or throwingaway all their money, if they choose; but that there are passages in thebible which would rather imply--to me at least--that they neglectedtheir duty as stewards if they did so. however i know so little aboutstrikes, and rate of wages, and capital, and labour, that i had better nottalk to a political economist like you.\"

\"nay, the more reason,\" said he, eagerly. \"i shall only be too glad toexplain to you all that may seem anomalous or mysterious to a stranger;especially at a time like this, when our doings are sure to be canvassedby every scribbler who can hold a pen.\"

\"thank you,\" she answered, coldly. \"of course, i shall apply to my fatherin the first instance for any information he can give me, if i get puzzledwith living here amongst this strange society.\"

\"you think it strange. why?\"

\"i don\"t know--i suppose because, on the very face of it, i see twoclasses dependent on each other in every possible way, yet eachevidently regarding the interests of the other as opposed to their own; inever lived in a place before where there were two sets of peoplealways running each other down.\"

\"who hāve you heard running the masters down? i don\"t ask who youhāve heard abusing the men; for i see you persist in misunderstandingwhat i said the other day. but who hāve you heard abusing the masters?\"

margaret reddened; then smiled as she said,\"i am not fond of being catechised. i refuse to answer your question.

besides, it has nothing to do with the fact. you must take my word forit, that i hāve heard some people, or, it may be, only someone of theworkpeople, speak as though it were the interest of the employers to

keep them from acquiring money--that it would make them tooindependent if they had a sum in the sāvings\" bank.\"

\"i dare say it was that man higgins who told you all this,\" said mrs hale.

mr. thornton did not appear to hear what margaret evidently did notwish him to know. but he caught it, nevertheless.

\"i heard, moreover, that it was considered to the advantage of themasters to hāve ignorant workmen--not hedge-lawyers, as captainlennox used to call those men in his pany who questioned andwould know the reason for every order.\"

this latter part of her sentence she addressed rather to her father than tomr. thornton. who is captain lennox? asked mr. thornton of himself,with a strange kind of displeasure, that prevented him for the momentfrom replying to her! her father took up the conversation.

\"you never were fond of schools, margaret, or you would hāve seen andknown before this, how much is being done for education in milton.\"

\"no!\" said she, with sudden meekness. \"i know i do not care enoughabout schools. but the knowledge and the ignorance of which i wasspeaking, did not relate to reading and writing,--the teaching orinformation one can give to a child. i am sure, that what was meant wasignorance of the wisdom that shall guide men and women. i hardlyknow what that is. but he--that is, my informant--spoke as if themasters would like their hands to be merely tall, large children--livingin the present moment--with a blind unreasoning kind of obedience.\"

\"in short, miss hale, it is very evident that your informant found a prettyready listener to all the slander he chose to utter against the masters,\"