“Young man,” said Mr. Carden, “never be peppery in business.”  He said this so solemnly and paternally, it sounded like the eleventh commandment.

To conclude, it was arranged Henry should take the higher class of insurance, which provided for accidents, voyages, everything, and should be insured for L5000, provided the physician appointed by the company should pronounce him free from disease.

Henry then rose, and said, sorrowfully, to Grace, “You will not see me here very often now; and never on Saturday afternoon or Monday morning.  I am not going to have some blackguard tracking me, and flinging a can of gunpowder in at your window.  When I do come, it will be in the morning, and on a working day; and I shall perhaps go ten miles round to get here.  It must be diamond cut diamond, for many a month to come, between the Trades and me.”  He uttered these words with manly gravity, as one who did not underrate the peril he was resolved to face; and left them with a respectful bow.

“That’s a rising man,” said Mr. Carden; “and may draw a hundred of his class to the ‘Gosshawk.’  It was a good stroke of business, quite out of the common.”

Grace said not a word, but she shook her head and looked pained and ill at ease.  Jael watched her fixedly.

Henry called at the works that night, and examined the new defenses, with Mr. Cheetham.  He also bought a powerful magnifying-glass; and next morning he came to the factory, examined the cinders, and everything else, with the magnifier, lighted his forge, and resumed his work.

At dinner-time he went out and had his chop, and read the Liberal; it contained a letter from Jobson, in reply to the editor.

Jobson deplored the criminal act, admitted that the two Unions had decided no individual could be a forger, a handler, and a cutler; such an example was subversive of all the Unions in the city, based, as they were, on subdivision of crafts.  “But,” said Mr Jobson, “we were dealing with the matter in a spirit quite inconsistent with outrages, and I am so anxious to convince the public of this, that I have asked a very experienced gentleman to examine our minute-books, and report accordingly.”

This letter was supplemented by one from Mr. Grotait, secretary of the Saw-Grinders, which ran thus:—­“Messrs. Parkin and Jobson have appealed to me to testify to certain facts.  I was very reluctant to interfere, for obvious reasons; but was, at last, prevailed on to examine the minute-books of those two Unions, and they certainly do prove that on the very evening before the explosion, those trades had fully discussed Mr. ——­’s case” (the real name was put, but altered by the editor), “and had disposed of it as follows.  They agreed, and this is entered accordingly, to offer him his traveling expenses (first class) to London, and one pound per week, from their funds, until such time as he should obtain employment.  I will only add, that both these secretaries spoke kindly to me of Mr. ——­; and, believing them to be sincere, I ventured to advise them to mark their disapproval of the criminal act, by offering him two pounds per week, instead of one pound; which advice they have accepted very readily.”