\"mr. bell,\" said he, \"before you speak so, you should remember that allmen are not as free to express what they feel as you are. let us talk ofsomething else.\" for though his heart leaped up, as at a trumpet-call, toevery word that mr. bell had said, and though he knew that what he hadsaid would henceforward bind the thought of the old oxford fellowclosely up with the most precious things of his heart, yet he would notbe forced into any expression of what he felt towards margaret. he wasno mocking-bird of praise, to try because another extolled what hereverenced and passionately loved, to outdo him in laudation. so heturned to some of the dry matters of business that lay between mr. belland him, as landlord and tenant.

\"what is that heap of brick and mortar we came against in the yard? anyrepairs wanted?\"

\"no, none, thank you.\"

\"are you building on your own account? if you are, i\"m very muchobliged to you.\"

\"i\"m building a dining-room--for the men i mean--the hands.\"

\"i thought you were hard to please, if this room wasn\"t good enough tosatisfy you, a bachelor.\"

\"i\"ve got acquainted with a strange kind of chap, and i put one or twochildren in whom he is interested to school. so, as i happened to bepassing near his house one day, i just went there about some triflingpayment to be made; and i saw such a miserable black frizzle of adinner--a greasy cinder of meat, as first set me a-thinking. but it wasnot till provisions grew so high this winter that i bethought me how, bybuying things wholesale, and cooking a good quantity of provisionstogether, much money might be sāved, and much fort gained. so ispoke to my friend--or my enemy--the man i told you of--and he foundfault with every detail of my plan; and in consequence i laid it aside,both as impracticable, and also because if i forced it into operation ishould be interfering with the independence of my men; when,suddenly, this higgins came to me and graciously signified his approvalof a scheme so nearly the same as mine, that i might fairly hāve claimedit; and, moreover, the approval of several of his fellow-workmen, towhom he had spoken. i was a little \"riled,\" i confess, by his manner,and thought of throwing the whole thing overboard to sink or swim. butit seemed childish to relinquish a plan which i had once thought wiseand well-laid, just because i myself did not receive all the honour andconsequence due to the originator. so i coolly took the part assigned tome, which is something like that of steward to a club. i buy in theprovisions wholesale, and provide a fitting matron or cook.\"

\"i hope you give satisfaction in your new capacity. are you a good

judge of potatoes and onions? but i suppose mrs. thornton assists youin your marketing.\"

\"not a bit,\" replied mr. thornton. \"she disapproves of the whole plan,and now we never mention it to each other. but i manage pretty well,getting in great stocks from liverpool, and being served in butcher\"smeat by our own family butcher. i can assure you, the hot dinners thematron turns out are by no means to be despised.\"

\"do you taste each dish as it goes in, in virtue of your office? i hope youhāve a white wand.\"

\"i was very scrupulous, at first, in confining myself to the merepurchasing part, and even in that i rather obeyed the men\"s ordersconveyed through the housekeeper, than went by my own judgment. atone time, the beef was too large, at another the mutton was not fatenough. i think they saw how careful i was to leāve them free, and notto intrude my own ideas upon them; so, one day, two or three of themen--my friend higgins among them--asked me if i would not e inand take a snack. it was a very busy day, but i saw that the men wouldbe hurt if, after making the advance, i didn\"t meet them half-way, so iwent in, and i never made a better dinner in my life. i told them (mynext neighbours i mean, for i\"m no speech-maker) how much i\"denjoyed it; and for some time, whenever that especial dinner recurred intheir dietary, i was sure to be met by these men, with a \"master, there\"shot-pot for dinner to-day, win yo\" e?\" if they had not asked me, iwould no more hāve intruded on them than i\"d hāve gone to the mess atthe barracks without invitation.\"