ardly ashamed of herself. She became
respectful as well as kind; called him "the young master" behind his
back, and tried to call him "Sir" to his face, only he would not let
her.

Next day Little went to his mother and told her all. She was deeply
interested, but bitterly disappointed at Henry's refusal of Raby's
offer. "He will never forgive us now," she said. "And oh, Henry, if you
love Grace Carden, that was the way to marry her." This staggered him;
but he said he had every reason to hope she would marry him without his
sacrificing his independence, and waiting with his hands in his pockets
for dead men's shoes.

Then he went to Dr. Amboyne, and there were the five hundred pounds
waiting for him; but, never having possessed such a sum before, he
begged the doctor to give him only L100 at a time. To finish for the
present with this branch of the story, he was lucky enough to make an
excellent bargain, bought the plant and stock of a small master-grinder
recently deceased. He then confined the grinding to saws and razors; and
this enabled him to set up his own forge on the premises, and to employ
a few file-cutters. It was all he could do at starting. Then came
the important question, What would the Trades say? He was not long in
suspense; Grotait called on him, expressed his regret at the attack that
had been made on him, and his satisfaction that now the matter could be
happily arranged. "This," said he, "is the very proposal I was going to
make to you (but you wouldn't hear me), to set up as a small master, and
sell your carving-tools to London instead of to Hillsboro'."

"What! will that make me right with the trade?"

"Pretty near. We protect the workmen from unfair competition, not the
masters. However, if you wish to cure the sore altogether, let your own
hands grind the tools, and send them out to be handled by Parkin: he has
got men on the box; trade is dull."

"Well, I don't object to that."

"Then, I say, let by-gones be gone-byes."

They shook hands over this, and in a very few hours it was known that
Mr. Little was right with the trade.

His early experiences as a philanthropic master were rather curious; but
I shall ask leave to relate them in a series of their own, and to deal
at present with matters of more common interest.

He called twice on Grace Carden; but she was out. The third time he
found her at home; but there was a lady with her, talking about the ball
Mr. and Miss Carden were ab