“’When the correspondence has once descended to the Dash dialect, written phonetically, it never remounts toward grammar, spelling or civilization; and the next in the business is rattening, or else beating, or shooting, or blowing-up the obnoxious individual by himself, or along with a houseful of people quite strange to the quarrel.  Now, it is manifest to common sense, that all this is one piece of mosaic, and that the criminal act it all ends in is no more to be disconnected from the last letter, than the last letter from its predecessor, or letter three from letter two.  Here is a crime first gently foreshadowed, then grimly intimated, then directly threatened, then threatened in words that smell of blood and gunpowder, and then—­done.  The correspondence and the act reveal—­

“The various talents, but the single mind.”

“’In face of this evidence, furnished by themselves, the trades Unions, some member of which has committed this crime, will do well to drop the worn-out farce of offering a trumpery reward and to take a direct and manly course.  They ought to accept Mr.——­’s preposterously liberal offer, and admit him to the two Unions, and thereby disown the criminal act in the form most consolatory to the sufferer:  or else they should face the situation, and say, “This act was done under our banner, though not by our order, and we stand by it.”  The Liberal will continue to watch the case.’”

“This will be a pill,” said Mr. Carden, laying down the paper.  “Why, they call the Liberal the workman’s advocate.”

“Yes, papa,” said Grace; “but how plainly he shows—­But Mr. Little is a stranger, and even this terrible lesson has not—­So do pray advise him.”

“I shall be very happy; but, when you are my age, you will know it is of little use intruding advice upon people.”

“Oh, Mr. Little will treat it with proper respect, coming from one so much older than himself, and better acquainted with this wretched town.  Will you not, Mr. Little?” said she, with so cunning a sweetness that the young fellow was entrapped, and assented, before he knew what he was about; then colored high at finding himself committed.

Mr. Carden reflected a moment.  He then said, “I can’t take upon myself to tell any man to give up his livelihood.  But one piece of advice I can conscientiously give Mr. Little.”

“Yes, papa.”

“And that is—­to insure his life.”

“Oh, papa!” cried Grace.

As for Henry he was rather amused, and his lip curled satirically.  But the next moment he happened to catch sight of Jael Dence’s face; her gray eyes were expanded with a look of uneasiness; and, directly she caught his eye she fixed it, and made him a quick movement of the head, directing him to assent.

There was something so clear and decided in the girl’s manner that it overpowered Henry who had no very clear idea to oppose to it, and he actually obeyed the nod of this girl, whom he had hitherto looked on as an amiable simpleton.