ferent societies in England, that were promising, to say the least.
All this had been done by the thrift and economy of individual members,
who educated themselves by doing business, and so were enabled to
dispense with the profits of middle-men, and the greedy clutch of
speculators.

After Winston had finished, Dr. Maverick went briefly over their plans
for Hope Mills in a very simple and direct manner.

"Winston was capital!" said Jack afterward. "When we are hard up we can
send him off on a lecturing-tour. But wasn't it rather over the heads of
our people?"

"It was for others beside the workmen. You know, Darcy, some men are so
used to swindling and misrepresentation, that they invariably accuse
every plan of another, of the same motive. You will have a good deal of
this back talk before your five years are ended; and I want Yerbury to
know that this is an old, old scheme. I might have quoted the children
of Israel, as aunt Jean did, and shocked the religious portion of the
community. But, after all, isn't the greatest truth, the Golden Rule,
co-operation in _all_ forms?" and he glanced up triumphantly.

Jack did not gainsay him.

He had hit the truth in regard to Yerbury. Some of those who had managed
to hold on to their money through all the stress of hard times raised
their eyebrows and shook their heads in amused derision. "A fool and his
money," said they, and "Set a beggar on horseback," besides numerous
wise saws people love to fling at their neighbors. A mortifying collapse
was predicted. There wasn't a woollen-mill in the country paying. The
smaller people who had been easily induced to invest their money in
building-lots, under the supposition that in a few years there would
hardly be standing-room in Yerbury, looked askance at this project, so
much more easily does speculation appeal to human nature, than the
slower but more honorable results of industry.

CHAPTER XIV.

IT was easy enough now to get hands who would consent to the
three-quarter wages. With one winter of semi-starvation the poor of
Yerbury were glad to take any thing that promised bread. The masters
were going to share with the men; but they were made distinctly to
understand, that, unless the mills earned something over and above this,
there could be no surplus, no dividends. Another thousand of the capital
had been made up by some of the hands, who thought this promised as well
as railroad-stocks, lots out on country barre