It is a pity for such an industry as that to be tied up on account
of one man's obstinacy."

"I had not heard"--began Barclay; but Governor Abbott continued
steadily, disregarding the interruption.

"Yesterday morning Mr. Rathbawne discharged fifteen employees on the
ground of incompetency. It is hard to see exactly what Mr. Rathbawne
means by 'incompetency.' These men were not newcomers. Some of them had
been in the mills for as much as eighteen months. It seems as if he
might have discovered the alleged incompetency long ago. It is more or
less arbitrary, one might say, this discharging men by wholesale, as it
were."

"I suppose," commented Barclay, "that a man may do as he will with his
own."

"Ah!" said the Governor, lifting his hands from his lapels with a little
gesture of deprecation, but immediately replacing them. "But _can_ he? A
man in Peter Rathbawne's position has a responsibility to fulfill toward
the community. He cannot beggar men for a caprice--because his horse has
gone lame, or his breakfast has not agreed with him. He must show
reasons--give an accounting. He must be fair."

"Oh, when it comes to fairness," laughed the other, "I assure you,
Governor Abbott, you won't find Mr. Rathbawne's equal this side of the
Pacific. He's famous for square dealing."

"He _has_ been," corrected the Governor. "In the present instance he
seems to have fallen below standard. He has declined to reconsider his
decision in the case of the discharged men. What's worse, he has flatly
refused to see the committee appointed by the Union."

"I'm not surprised at that," said Barclay slowly, fingering a
paper-cutter on the desk before him. "Mr. Rathbawne is peculiar in one
respect; he supports and considers the Union in every other. But he has
always insisted upon his right to discharge the hands at will, and
without giving reasons. Incompetency is only a word which is used to
cover more serious causes."

"Well, he's wrong," said the Governor, with a heat unusual to him.
"He's dead wrong, Mr. Barclay, and he will find it out before he's a day
older."

"Do you mean"--

"I mean that if the men in question are not taken back before to-morrow
noon, every man, woman, and child in the employ of the Rathbawne Mills
will be out on strike. The question is, what is Peter Rathbawne prepared
to do?"

The silence that followed was broken only by the tap, tap, tap of the
Lieutenant-Governor's paper-cutter on the silver-mounted