e."

"Tell them to take the scales off their eyes, then," said Uncle Dick.
"Oppose machinery, do they?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then if someone invented a new kind of grindstone to grind tools and
blades in a quarter of the time, what would they do?"

"Smash it, sir, or burn the place it was in," said the man with a grin.

"Then why don't they smash up the grindstones they use now? They are
machinery."

"What! Grindstones, sir? Oh, no!"

"But they are, man, I tell you," cried Uncle Dick angrily. "The first
men who ground knives or shears rubbed, them on a rough piece of stone;
then I dare say a cleverer man found it was handier to rub the blade
with the stone instead of the stone with the blade; and then someone
invented the round grindstone which turned and ground whatever was held
against it."

"Come along," said Uncle Jack sharply. "You are wasting breath. They
will not believe till they find all this out for themselves."

We went in and had a good look round the place, but there was not a band
to be found. There had been no cutting--every one had been carried
away, leaving no trace behind; and I wanted a good deal of comforting to
make me satisfied that it was not my fault.

But my uncles were very kind to me, and told me at once that I was to
say no more, only to be thankful that I had not drunk more heartily of
the water, and been made ill as the dog, who, in spite of seeming
better, kept having what I may call relapses, and lying down anywhere to
have a fresh sleep.

The look round produced no result, and the day was spent in the silent
works writing letters, book-keeping, and talking rather despondently
about the future.

It seemed so strange to me as I went about. No roaring fires and
puffing bellows; no clink of hammer or anvil, and no churr and screech
of steel being held against the revolving stones. There was no buzz of
voices or shouting from end to end of the workshop, and instead of great
volumes of smoke rolling out of the top of the tall chimney-shaft, a
little faint grey cloud slowly curled away into the air.

Then there was the great wheel. The dam was full and overflowing, but
the wheel was still; and when I looked in, the water trickled and
plashed down into the gloomy chamber with its mossy, slimy stone sides,
while the light shone in at the opening, and seemed to make bright bands
across the darkness before it played upon the slightly agitated waters.

Then a long discussion to