\"for never any thing can be amisswhen simpleness and duty tender it.\"

midsummer night\"s dream.

mr. thornton went straight and clear into all the interests of thefollowing day. there was a slight demand for finished goods; and as itaffected his branch of the trade, he took advantage of it, and drove hardbargains. he was sharp to the hour at the meeting of his brothermagistrates,--giving them the best assistance of his strong sense, and hispower of seeing consequences at a glance, and so ing to a rapiddecision. older men, men of long standing in the town, men of fargreater wealth--realised and turned into land, while his was all floatingcapital, engaged in his trade--looked to him for prompt, ready wisdom.

he was the one deputed to see and arrange with the police--to lead in allthe requisite steps. and he cared for their unconscious deference nomore than for the soft west wind, that scarcely made the smoke from thegreat tall chimneys swerve in its straight upward course. he was notaware of the silent respect paid to him. if it had been otherwise, hewould hāve felt it as an obstacle in his progress to the object he had inview. as it was, he looked to the speedy acplishment of that alone.

it was his mother\"s greedy ears that sucked in, from the women-kind ofthese magistrates and wealthy men, how highly mr. this or mr. thatthought of mr. thornton; that if he had not been there, things wouldhāve gone on very differently,--very badly, indeed. he swept off hisbusiness right and left that day. it seemed as though his deepmortification of yesterday, and the stunned purposeless course of thehours afterwards, had cleared away all the mists from his intellect. hefelt his power and revelled in it. he could almost defy his heart. if hehad known it, he could hāve sang the song of the miller who lived bythe river dee:-\"

i care for nobody-nobodycares for me.\"

the evidence against boucher, and other ringleaders of the riot, wastaken before him; that against the three others, for conspiracy, failed.

but he sternly charged the police to be on the watch; for the swift rightarm of the law should be in readiness to strike, as soon as they couldprove a fault. and then he left the hot reeking room in the boroughcourt, and went out into the fresher, but still sultry street. it seemed asthough he gāve way all at once; he was so languid that he could notcontrol his thoughts; they would wander to her; they would bring backthe scene,--not of his repulse and rejection the day before but the looks,the actions of the day before that. he went along the crowded streetsmechanically, winding in and out among the people, but never seeingthem,--almost sick with longing for that one half-hour--that one briefspace of time when she clung to him, and her heart beat against his--to

e once again.

\"why, mr. thornton you\"re cutting me very coolly, i must say. and howis mrs. thornton? brāve weather this! we doctors don\"t like it, i can tellyou!\"

\"i beg your pardon, dr. donaldson. i really didn\"t see you. my mother\"squite well, thank you. it is a fine day, and good for the harvest, i hope.

if the wheat is well got in, we shall hāve a brisk trade next year,whatever you doctors hāve.\"

\"ay, ay. each man for himself your bad weather, and your bad times,are my good ones. when trade is bad, there\"s more undermining ofhealth, and preparation for death, going on among you milton men thanyou\"re aware of.\"

\"not with me, doctor. i\"m made of iron. the news of the worst bad debti ever had, never made my pulse vary. this strike, which affects memore than any one else in milton,--more than hamper,--never esnear my appetite. you must go elsewhere for a patient, doctor.\"