'You must grant me this one point. Given a strong feeling of

independence in every Darkshire man, have I any right to obtrude

my views, of the manner in which he shall act, upon another

(hating it as I should do most vehemently myself), merely because

he has labour to sell and I capital to buy?' 'Not in the least,' said Margaret, determined just to say this

one thing; 'not in the least because of your labour and capital

positions, whatever they are, but because you are a man, dealing

with a set of men over whom you have, whether you reject the use

of it or not, immense power, just because your lives and your

welfare are so constantly and intimately interwoven. God has made

us so that we must be mutually dependent. We may ignore our own

dependence, or refuse to acknowledge that others depend upon us

in more respects than the payment of weekly wages; but the thing

must be, nevertheless. Neither you nor any other master can help

yourselves. The most proudly independent man depends on those

around him for their insensible influence on his character--his

life. And the most isolated of all your Darkshire Egos has

dependants clinging to him on all sides; he cannot shake them

off, any more than the great rock he resembles can shake off--' 'Pray don't go into similes, Margaret; you have led us off once

already,' said her father, smiling, yet uneasy at the thought

that they were detaining Mr. Thornton against his will, which was

a mistake; for he rather liked it, as long as Margaret would

talk, although what she said only irritated him.

'Just tell me, Miss Hale, are you yourself ever influenced--no,

that is not a fair way of putting it;--but if you are ever

conscious of being influenced by others, and not by

circumstances, have those others been working directly or

indirectly? Have they been labouring to exhort, to enjoin, to act

rightly for the sake of example, or have they been simple, true

men, taking up their duty, and doing it unflinchingly, without a

thought of how their actions were to make this man industrious,

that man saving? Why, if I were a workman, I should be twenty

times more impressed by the knowledge that my master, was honest,

punctual, quick, resolute in all his doings (and hands are keener

spies even than valets), than by any amount of interference,

however kindly meant, with my ways of going on out of work-hours.

I do not choose to think too closely on what I am myself; but, I

believe, I rely on the straightforward honesty of my hands, and

the open nature of their opposition, in contra-distinction to the

way in which the turnout will be managed in some mills, just

because they know I scorn to take a single dishonourable

advantage, or do an underhand thing myself It goes farther than a

whole course of lectures on "Honesty is the Best Policy"--life

diluted into words. No, no! What the master is, that will the men

be, without over-much taking thought on his part.' 'That is a great admission,' said Margaret, laughing. 'When I see

men violent and obstinate in pursuit of their rights, I may

safely infer that the master is the same that he is a little

ignorant of that spirit which suffereth long, and is kind, and

seeketh not her own.' 'You are just like all strangers who don't understand the working

of our system, Miss Hale,' said he, hastily. 'You suppose that

our men are puppets of dough, ready to be moulded into any

amiable form we please. You forget we have only to do with them

for less than a third of their lives; and you seem not to

perceive that the duties of a manufacturer are far larger and

wider than those merely of an employer of labour: we have a wide

commercial character to maintain, which makes us into the great

pioneers of civilisation.' 'It strikes me,' said Mr. Hale, smiling, 'that you might pioneer

a little at home. They are a rough, heathenish set of fellows,

these Milton men of yours.' 'They are that,' replied Mr. Thornton. 'Rosewater surgery won't

do for them. Cromwell would have made a capital mill-owner, Miss

Hale. I wish we had him to put down this strike for us.' 'Cromwell is no hero of mine,' said she, coldly. 'But I am trying

to reconcile your admiration of despotism with your respect for

other men's independence of character.' He reddened at her tone. 'I choose to be the unquestioned and

irresponsible master of my hands, during the hours that they

labour for me. But those hours past, our relation ceases; and

then comes in the same respect for their independence that I

myself exact.' He did not speak again for a minute, he was too much vexed. But

he shook it off, and bade Mr. and Mrs. Hale good night. Then,

drawing near to Margaret, he said in a lower voice-'I spoke hastily to you once this evening, and I am afraid,

rather rudely. But you know I am but an uncouth Milton

manufacturer; will you forgive me?' 'Certainly,' said she, smiling up in his face, the expression of

which was somewhat anxious and oppressed, and hardly cleared away

as he met her sweet sunny countenance, out of which all the

north-wind effect of their discussion had entirely vanished. But

she did not put out her hand to him, and again he felt the

omission, and set it down to pride.




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