orking man gifted with brains and comeliness must, be sure of it, pay
penalties for his prominence.

Quite another man was Daniel Dabbs: in him you saw the proletarian pure
and simple. He was thick-set, square-shouldered, rolling in gait; he
walked with head bent forward and eyes glancing uneasily, as if from
lack of self-confidence. His wiry black hair shone with grease, and
no accuracy of razor-play would make his chin white. A man of immense
strength, but bull-necked and altogether ungainly--his heavy fist, with
its black veins and terrific knuckles, suggested primitive methods
of settling dispute; the stumpy fingers, engrimed hopelessly, and the
filthy broken nails, showed how he wrought for a living. His face, if
you examined it without prejudice, was not ill to look upon; there was
much good humour about the mouth, and the eyes, shrewd enough, could
glimmer a kindly light His laughter was roof-shaking--always a good sign
in a man.

'And what have _you_ got to say of these fine doings, Mr. Dabbs?' Mrs.
Mutimer asked him.

'Why, it's like this 'era, Mrs. Mutimer,' Daniel began, having seated
himself, with hands on widely-parted knees. 'As far as the theory goes,
I'm all for Dick; any man must be as knows his two times two. But about
the Longwoods; well, I tell Dick they've a perfect right to get rid of
him, finding him a dangerous enemy, you see. It was all fair and above
board. Young Stephen Longwood ups an' says--leastways not in these
words, but them as means the same--says he, "Look 'ere, Mutimer," he
says, "we've no fault to find with you as a workman, but from what we
hear of you, it seems you don't care much for us as employers. Hadn't
you better find a shop as is run on Socialist principles?" That's all
about it, you see; it's a case of incompatible temperaments; there's no
ill-feelin', not as between man and man, And that's what I say, too.'

'Now, Dick,' said Mrs. Mutimer, 'before you begin your sermon, who's
a-going to fetch my beer?'

'Right, Mrs. Mutimer!' cried Daniel, slapping his leg. 'That's what I
call coming from theory to practice. Beer squares all--leastways for the
time being--only for the time being, Dick. Where's the jug? Better give
me two jugs; we've had a thirsty night of it.'

'We'll make capital of this!' said Richard, walking about the room in
Daniel's absence. 'The great point gained is, they've shown they're
afraid of me. We'll write it up in the paper next week, see if we don't