b how were they to live? This morning he himself had
had no breakfast to speak of, only a cup of tea and some dry bread.
These thoughts crowded upon each other in his mind, but still he
hesitated. Hunter began to move off.

'Well,' he said, 'if you like to start you can come here at seven in
the morning.' Then as Newman still hesitated he added impatiently,
'Are you coming or not?'

'Yes, sir,' said Newman.

'All right,' said Hunter, affably. 'I'll tell Crass to have a kit
ready for you.'

He nodded in a friendly way to the man, who went off feeling like a
criminal.

As Hunter resumed his march, well pleased with himself, the fifth man,
who had been waiting all this time, came to meet him. As he
approached, Hunter recognized him as one who had started work for
Rushton & Co early in the summer, but who had left suddenly of his own
accord, having taken offence at some bullying remark of Hunter's.

Hunter was glad to see this man. He guessed that the fellow must be
very hard pressed to come again and ask for work after what had
happened.

'Any chance of a job, sir?'

Hunter appeared to reflect.

'I believe I have room for one,' he said at length. 'But you're such
an uncertain kind of chap. You don't seem to care much whether you
work or not. You're too independent, you know; one can't say two words
to you but you must needs clear off.'

The man made no answer.

'We can't tolerate that kind of thing, you know,' Hunter added. 'If we
were to encourage men of your stamp we should never know where we are.'

So saying, Hunter moved away and again proceeded on his journey.

When he arrived within about three yards of the gate he noiselessly
laid his machine against the garden fence. The high evergreens that
grew inside still concealed him from the observation of anyone who
might be looking out of the windows of the house. Then he carefully
crept along till he came to the gate post, and bending down, he
cautiously peeped round to see if he could detect anyone idling, or
talking, or smoking. There was no one in sight except old Jack Linden,
who was rubbing down the lobby doors with pumice-stone and water.
Hunter noiselessly opened the gate and crept quietly along the grass
border of the garden path. His idea was to reach the front door
without being seen, so that Linden could not give notice of his
approach to those within. In this he succeeded and passed silently
into the house. He did not speak t