all life in terms of his own interest
alone.

"We've got to fight for ourselves in this world since there's none other
to fight for us," he said, "and, of course, you take his side. You've
licked Ironsyde boots all your life, and nothing an Ironsyde can do is
wrong. But I might have known the man that's done the wickedness he's
done, and deserts his child and let his only son work on the land,
wouldn't meet me fair. There's no honour or honesty in the creature, but
if he thinks I'm going to take this slight without lifting my voice
against it, he's wrong. To leave the works and sneak out of 'em
unmourned and without a bit of talk and a testimonial was shameful
enough; but ten shilling a week--no! The country shall ring about that
and he'll find his credit shaken. 'Tis enough to lose him his election
to Parliament, and I hope it will do so."

Best stared.

"You're a cracked old fool, and not a spark of proper pride or
gratitude in you. Feeling like that, I wonder you dare touch his money;
but you're the sort who would take gifts with one hand and stab the
giver with the other. I hope he'll change his mind yet and give you no
pension at all."

Levi, rather impressed with this unusual display of feeling from the
foreman, growled a little longer, then went his way; while in John there
arose a determination to prevent Mr. Baggs from visiting the scene of
his old activities. At present force of habit drew the old man to spend
half his time here; and now, when Best had returned to the Gill Spinner,
Levi prowled off to his old theatre of work, entered the hackling shop
and criticised the new hackler. His successor was young and stood in awe
of him at first; but awe was not a quality the veteran inspired for
long. Already Joe Ash began to grow restive under Levi's criticisms, and
dimly to feel that the old hackler was better away. To-day Mr. Baggs
allowed the resentment awakened by Best's criticisms to take shape in
offensive comments at the expense of his young successor. He was of that
order of beings who, when kicked, rests not until he has kicked somebody
again.

But to-day the evil star of Mr. Baggs was in ascendant, and when he told
the youth that he wasted half his strength and had evidently been taught
his business by a fool, Levi was called to suffer a spirited retort. Joe
Ash came from the Midlands; his vocabulary was wider than that of Mr.
Baggs, and he soon had the old man gasping. Finally he ordered him out
o