t, Strong! It can surely
do no harm to find out what makes them fight so."

And so on for half an hour.

"Well, I don't mind having a chat with one of them," conceded Strong at
last. "It's only because you persist so, Melsom. I suppose this man
you've been told is in town is an oily, ignorant fellow, who'll split
words and wrangle up a cloud of dust until nobody can tell what we're
talking about. I've heard these fellows."

Thus it was that Ned, calling at the Trades Hall, after having washed and
breakfasted at his hotel and seen to various items of union business
about town, was greeted with the information that Mr. Melsom was looking
for him.

"Who's Melsom?"

"Oh! A sort of four-leaved clover, a reasonable employer," answered his
genial informant. "He's in a large way of business, interested in a good
many concerns, and whenever he's got a finger in anything we can always
get on with it. He's a great man for arbitration and conciliation and has
managed to settle two or three disputes that I never thought would be
arranged peaceably. He's a thoroughly decent fellow, I can assure you."

"What does he want with me, I wonder?"

"He wants you to see Strong, just to talk matters over and let Strong
know how you Queenslanders look at things."

"Who's Strong?"

"Don't you know? He's managing director of the Great Southern Mortgage
Agency. He's the man who's running the whole show on the other side and a
clever man, too, don't you forget it."

Ned recollected the man he had seen at the restaurant and what Nellie had
said of him, two years ago.

"But I can't see him without instructions. I must wire up to know what
they say about it," said Ned.

"That's just what you mustn't do, old man. Strong won't consent to any
formal interview, but told Melsom, that he'd be glad to see anybody who
knew how the other side saw things, to chat the matter over as between
one man and another. I told Melsom yesterday that you were in town till
to-night and he came this morning to get you to see Strong at eleven.
He'll be back before then. I told him I thought it would be all right."

"I don't see how I can do that without instructions," repeated Ned.

"If it were formal there could be only one possible instruction, surely,"
urged the other. "As it is absolutely informal and as all that Melsom
hopes is that it may lead to a formal conference, I think you should go.
You'd talk to anybody, wouldn't you? Besides, Melsom has his hea