ter myself that I know how to order a good dinner; but
I always leave the flowers to my wife. And if you'll permit me to say
so," he went on, encouraged by the felicity of his image, "I believe it
will produce a most pleasing effect--not only on the operatives
themselves, but on the whole of Hanaford--on our own set of people
especially--to have you come here and interest yourself in
the--er--philanthropic side of the work."

Bessy coloured a little. She blushed easily, and was perhaps not
over-discriminating as to the quality of praise received; but under her
ripple of pleasure a stronger feeling stirred, and she said hastily: "I
am afraid I never should have thought of these things if Mr. Amherst had
not pointed them out to me."

Mr. Gaines met this blandly. "Very gratifying to Mr. Amherst to have you
put it in that way; and I am sure we all appreciate his valuable hints.
Truscomb himself could not have been more helpful, though his larger
experience will no doubt be useful later on, in developing
and--er--modifying your plans."

It was difficult to reconcile this large view of the moral issue with
the existence of abuses which made the management of the Westmore mills
as unpleasantly notorious in one section of the community as it was
agreeably notable in another. But Amherst was impartial enough to see
that Mr. Gaines was unconscious of the incongruities of the situation.
He left the reconciling of incompatibles to Truscomb with the simple
faith of the believer committing a like task to his maker: it was in the
manager's mind that the dark processes of adjustment took place. Mr.
Gaines cultivated the convenient and popular idea that by ignoring
wrongs one is not so much condoning as actually denying their existence;
and in pursuance of this belief he devoutly abstained from studying the
conditions at Westmore.

A farther surprise awaited Amherst when Truscomb reappeared in the
office. The manager was always a man of few words; and for the first
days his intercourse with his assistant was restricted to asking
questions and issuing orders. Soon afterward, it became known that
Dillon's arm was to be amputated, and that afternoon Truscomb was
summoned to see Mrs. Westmore. When he returned he sent for Amherst; and
the young man felt sure that his hour had come.

He was at dinner when the message reached him, and he knew from the
tightening of his mother's lips that she too interpreted it in the same
way. He was gl