have
shillings. And my wishes to do proper things, in the line of modern
progress and all that, are turned down by my brother. Here am I thinking
about you and worrying and knowing it's all wrong--and there's nobody on
my side--not a damned person. And it makes me fairly mad."

"I'm sure it's splendid of you to look at the Mill in such a high-minded
way," declared Sabina. "And now you've told me, I shall understand
what's in your mind. I'm sure I thank you for the thought at any rate."

"If you'd only be my friend," he said.

"It would be a great honour for a girl--just a spinner--to be that."

"The honour is for me. You've got such tons of mind, Sabina. You
understand all the economical side, and so on."

"A thing is only worth what it will fetch, I'm afraid."

"That's the point. If you would help me, we would go into it and
presently, when I'm a partner, we could bring out a scheme; and then
you'd know you'd been instrumental in raising the tone of the whole
works. And probably, if we set a good example, other works would raise
their tone, too, and gradually the workers would find the whole scheme
of things changing, to their advantage."

Sabina regarded this majestic vision with due reverence. She praised his
ideals and honestly believed him a hero.

They discussed the subject while the dusk came down and he prophesied
great things.

"We shall live to see it," he assured her, "and it may be largely thanks
to you. And when you have a home of your own and--and--"

It was then that she became conscious of his very near presence and the
dying light.

"They'll all have gone, and so must I," she said, "and I hope you'll
thank Miss Waldron dearly for her nice party."

"This is only the first; she'll give dozens more now that this has been
such a success. She loves the Mill. If you come this way I can let you
out by the bottom gate--by the bamboo garden. You've bucked me up like
anything--you always do. You're the best thing in my life, Sabina. Oh,
if I was anything to you--if--but of course it's all one way."

His voice shook a little. He burned to put his arms round her, and
Nature shouted so loud in his humming ears that he hardly heard her
answer. For she echoed his emotion.

"What can I say to that? You're so kind--you don't know how kind. You
can't guess what such friendship means to a girl like me. It's something
that doesn't come into our lives very often. I'm only wondering what the
world will be l