and
myself, accomplished the journey by rail. I spent some time at the top of
Manchester road, Bradford, looking for a suitable house, and had almost
resolved to give up the search in that quarter when I made the
acquaintance of an old lady, who said she had a nice house--which vacant
house isn't a nice one?--to let at 9s 6d per week. This was a large
figure, but, under the trying circumstances, I agreed to rent the house.
An hour or so afterwards the van arrived, and having got my goods and
chattels into the house, I dismissed the two men, enjoining them to
strict secrecy as to my whereabouts. Having got the house into something
like ship shape order, I set about devising a _nom de plume_ and
eventually fixed upon "James Wrightson," which seemed to fit best, seeing
that I was James Wright's son.

IN BRADFORD--AS PATTERN DRESSER

Next day I managed to secure employment as pattern dresser with Messrs
Ward and Bottomley, manufacturers. My stay there, however, was only
short, owing to a disagreement with my foreman on a political subject. I
then called upon Mr Wade, manufacturer, for whom I had worked at Morton.
Mr F. S. Pearson, now of Keighley, was the manager of the warp sizing
department in the fancy trade. Mr Pearson set me on, and I continued in
Mr Wade's employ for about twelve months, having a very profitable
situation.

AS WARP-SIZING INSPECTOR

One day I was met by a gentleman who asked me if I would act as his
warp-sizing inspector, promising me a very comfortable salary. This
gentleman, or his firm, carried on the business of warp-sizing, and he
explained that it would be my duty to go round to different factories to
assess the damage, if any, done to warps which had been sent from those
factories to be sized. I was pressed very much to take this position, and
ultimately I accepted it. The business, I learned, was in the hands of Mr
Ward, and was formerly owned by Mr Titus Gaukroger. My new duties were
accompanied with difficulties, though after a time I got along fairly
well. I found out many little things, among which were not a few cases of
manufacturers--bosom friends, socially--defrauding each other. I had
occupied the position of warp-dressing inspector about six months, when
the hand of--Fate, shall I say? was again placed upon me. An old friend
of mine--Christopher Brown, a native of Haworth--popped in to see me. He
had been away for some time in Canada, where he had made a good sum of