Mr. Baggs glowered at John during this harangue.  His was the steadfast attitude of the egoist, who sees all life in terms of his own interest alone.

“We’ve got to fight for ourselves in this world since there’s none other to fight for us,” he said, “and, of course, you take his side.  You’ve licked Ironsyde boots all your life, and nothing an Ironsyde can do is wrong.  But I might have known the man that’s done the wickedness he’s done, and deserts his child and let his only son work on the land, wouldn’t meet me fair.  There’s no honour or honesty in the creature, but if he thinks I’m going to take this slight without lifting my voice against it, he’s wrong.  To leave the works and sneak out of ’em unmourned and without a bit of talk and a testimonial was shameful enough; but ten shilling a week—­no!  The country shall ring about that and he’ll find his credit shaken.  ’Tis enough to lose him his election to Parliament, and I hope it will do so.”

Best stared.

“You’re a cracked old fool, and not a spark of proper pride or gratitude in you.  Feeling like that, I wonder you dare touch his money; but you’re the sort who would take gifts with one hand and stab the giver with the other.  I hope he’ll change his mind yet and give you no pension at all.”

Levi, rather impressed with this unusual display of feeling from the foreman, growled a little longer, then went his way; while in John there arose a determination to prevent Mr. Baggs from visiting the scene of his old activities.  At present force of habit drew the old man to spend half his time here; and now, when Best had returned to the Gill Spinner, Levi prowled off to his old theatre of work, entered the hackling shop and criticised the new hackler.  His successor was young and stood in awe of him at first; but awe was not a quality the veteran inspired for long.  Already Joe Ash began to grow restive under Levi’s criticisms, and dimly to feel that the old hackler was better away.  To-day Mr. Baggs allowed the resentment awakened by Best’s criticisms to take shape in offensive comments at the expense of his young successor.  He was of that order of beings who, when kicked, rests not until he has kicked somebody again.

But to-day the evil star of Mr. Baggs was in ascendant, and when he told the youth that he wasted half his strength and had evidently been taught his business by a fool, Levi was called to suffer a spirited retort.  Joe Ash came from the Midlands; his vocabulary was wider than that of Mr. Baggs, and he soon had the old man gasping.  Finally he ordered him out of the shop, and told him that if he did not go he would be put out.

“Strength or no strength,” he said, “I’ve got enough for you, so hop out of this and don’t come back.  If you’re to be free of my shop, I leave; and that’s all there is to it.”

Mr. Baggs departed, having hoped that he might live to see the young man hung with his own long line.  He then pursued his way by the river, labouring under acute emotions, and half a mile down stream met a lad engaged in angling.