y and
honourably in every transaction; and it was Mr. Fairfax's boast that
there had never yet been a "strike" among his men, nor any difficulty
about work or wages which had not been settled at last in a friendly
spirit.

But this very "superiority" was a snare to the mill-hands. For if they
once took a dislike to any one who had been "taken on," they left him
no peace until they got rid of him. It was looked on as a sort of
privilege in Longcross to belong to the Fairfax mills, and the men
chose to be very particular as to whom they would admit among
themselves.

They all disapproved of poor Stephen Bennett from the first day of his
coming.

As they walked away that evening they discussed his appearance with
eager disapprobation.

"Who is he?" "Where does he come from?" "Where's he living?" "What's
made the master take such a ragamuffin on?"

These were some of the questions asked, but no one was able to answer
them.

"I'll get it all out of him to-morrow," said Simon Bond, a big
savage-looking lad, with his hat on one side, and his pipe in his
mouth.

"P'raps he won't be quite so ready to tell as you are to ask," said
some one else.

"He'd better be, then, if he's got any care for his skin," answered
the boy, and the others laughed.

So the next day Simon followed the stranger out of the mill, and began
his questions in a rude, hectoring voice.

To his utter astonishment, Stephen refused to answer them. He made no
reply while Simon poured out his questions, until the latter said,--

"Well, dunderhead, d'ye hear me speaking?"

"Yes, I hear you," responded Stephen, looking at him with a
half-frightened, half-defiant expression.

"Then why don't you answer?" he inquired with an oath. He was getting
angry. "If you cheek me, 'twill be the worse for you, I can tell you."

"I don't want to cheek you," said Stephen; "but I don't see as my
affairs is your business, any more than your affairs is my business."

Simon could hardly believe his ears as he listened to this answer.
This little shrimp to defy him like that!

But his anger soon outweighed his amazement.

He seized Stephen by the collar, saying, as he gave him a shake,--

"Answer my questions this instant, or--"

His gestures completed the sentence.

Stephen turned very white, but he replied firmly,--

"I've told you I ain't going to, and I sticks to my words. If you
threaten me like that, I'll go to the foreman and complain. There he
come