is that?"

"They are useless. You can't carve wood with them. None but a practical
carver can design these tools, and then he must invent and make the
steel molds first. Try and sell them in London or Paris, you'll soon
find the difference. Mr. Bayne, I wonder you should call me from
my forge to examine 'prentice-work." And, with this, he walked off
disdainfully, but not quite easy in his mind, for he had noticed a
greedy twinkle in Cheetham's eye.

The next day all the grinders in Mr. Cheetham's employ, except the
scissors-grinders, rose, all of a sudden, like a flock of partridges,
and went out into the road.

"What is up now?" inquired Bayne. The answer was, their secretaries had
sent for them.

They buzzed in the road, for a few minutes, and then came back to work.

At night there was a great meeting at the "Cutlers' Arms," kept by Mr.
Grotait.

At noon the next day, all the grinders aforesaid in Mr. Cheetham's
employ walked into the office, and left, each of them, a signed paper to
this effect:

"This is to give you notice that I will leave your service a week after
the date thereof." (Meaning "hereof," I presume.)

Cheetham asked several of them what was up. Some replied civilly, it was
a trade matter. Others suggested Mr. Cheetham knew as much about it as
they did.

Not a single hot or uncivil word was spoken on either side. The game had
been played too often for that, and with results too various.

One or two even expressed a sort of dogged regret. The grinder Reynolds,
a very honest fellow, admitted, to Mr. Cheetham, that he thought it
a sorry trick, for a hundred men to strike against one that had had a
squeak for his life. "But no matter what I think or what I say, I must
do what the Union bids me, sir."

"I know that, my poor fellow," said Cheetham. "I quarrel with none of
you. I fight you all. The other masters, in this town, are mice, but I'm
a man."

This sentiment he repeated very often during the next six days.

The seventh came and the grinders never entered the works.

Cheetham looked grave. However, he said to Bayne, "Go and find out where
they are. Do it cleverly now. Don't be noticed."

Bayne soon ascertained they were all in the neighboring public-houses.

"I thought so," said Cheetham. "They will come in, before night. They
sha'n't beat me, the vagabonds. I'm a man, I'm not a mouse."

"Orders pouring in, sir," sighed Bayne. "And the grinders are rather
behind the others in t