\"i beg your pardon. margaret thought it would do the miltonmanufacturers good to associate a little more with oxford men. nowwasn\"t it so, margaret?\"

\"i believe i thought it would do both good to see a little more of theother,--i did not know it was my idea any more than papa\"s.\"

\"and so you see, mr. thornton, we ought to hāve been improving eachother down-stairs, instead of talking over vanished families of smithsand harrisons. however, i am willing to do my part now. i wonderwhen you milton men intend to live. all your lives seem to be spent ingathering together the materials for life.\"

\"by living, i suppose you mean enjoyment.\"

\"yes, enjoyment,--i don\"t specify of what, because i trust. we shouldboth consider mere pleasure as very poor enjoyment.\"

\"i would rather hāve the nature of the enjoyment defined.\"

\"well! enjoyment of leisure--enjoyment of the power and influencewhich money gives. you are all striving for money. what do you wantit for?\"

mr. thornton was silent. then he said, \"i really don\"t know. but moneyis not what i strive for.\"

\"what then?\"

\"it is a home question. i shall hāve to lay myself open to such acatechist, and i am not sure that i am prepared to do it.\"

\"no!\" said mr. hale; \"don\"t let us be personal in our catechism. you areneither of you representative men; you are each of you too individualfor that.\"

\"i am not sure whether to consider that as a pliment or not. i shouldlike to be the representative of oxford, with its beauty and its learning,

and its proud old history. what do you say, margaret; ought i to beflattered?\"

\"i don\"t know oxford. but there is a difference between being therepresentative of a city and the representative man of its inhabitants.\"

\"very true, miss margaret. now i remember, you were against me thismorning, and were quite miltonian and manufacturing in yourpreferences.\" margaret saw the quick glance of surprise that mr.

thornton gāve her, and she was annoyed at the construction which hemight put on this speech of mr. bell\"s. mr. bell went on-\"

ah! i wish i could show you our high street--our radcliffe square. iam leāving out our colleges, just as i give mr. thornton leāve to omithis factories in speaking of the charms of milton. i hāve a right to abusemy birth-place. remember i am a milton man.

mr. thornton was annoyed more than he ought to hāve been at all thatmr. bell was saying. he was not in a mood for joking. at another time,he could hāve enjoyed mr. bell\"s half testy condemnation of a townwhere the life was so at variance with every habit he had formed; butnow, he was galled enough to attempt to defend what was never meantto be seriously attacked.

\"i don\"t set up milton as a model of a town.\"