Henry was, however, aware, that the breaking of a large grindstone, while revolving by steam power, was a serious, and often a fatal thing; he therefore made a private mark upon the wall opposite the grindstone, and took his excited companion to Bayne.  “This poor lad says he has found a defective grindstone.  It is impossible for me to test it while it is running.  Will you let us into the works when the saw-grinders have left?”

Bayne hem’d and haw’d a little, but consented.  He would remain behind half an-hour to oblige Little.

Henry gave the Anomaly his dinner, and then inspected the file-cutters in two great works.  Here he found suicide reduced to a system.  Whereof anon.

Returning, to keep his appointment with Bayne he met a well-dressed man, who stopped Billy, and accosted him kindly.

Henry strolled on.

He heard their voices behind him all the way, and the man stopped at Cheetham’s gate, which rather surprised him.  “Has Billy told you what we are at?” said he.

“Yes.  But the very look of him was enough.  I know Billy and his ways, better than you do.”

“Very likely.  What, are you coming in with us?”

“If you have no objection.”

The door was opened by Bayne in person.  He started at the sight of the companion his friend had picked up, and asked him, with marked civility, if there was anything amiss.  “Not that I know of,” was the reply.  “I merely thought that my experience might be of some little service to you in an inquiry of this kind.”

“Not a doubt of it, sir,” said Bayne, and led the way with his lantern, for it was past sunset.  On the road, the visitor asked if anybody had marked the accused stone.  Henry said he should know it again.  “That is right,” said the other.

On entering the room, this personage took Billy by the arm, and held him.  “Let us have no false alarms,” he said, and blindfolded the boy with his handkerchief in a moment.

And now an examination commenced, which the time and the place rendered curious and striking.

It was a long, lofty room; the back part mainly occupied by the drums that were turned by the driving-power.  The power was on the floor above, and acted by means of huge bands that came down through holes in the ceiling and turned the drums.  From each of these drums came two leather bands, each of which turned a pulley-wheel, and each pulley-wheel a grindstone, to whose axle it was attached; but now the grindstones rested in the troughs, and the great wheel-bands hung limp, and the other bands lay along loose and serpentine.  In the dim light of a single lamp, it all looked like a gigantic polypus with its limbs extended lazily, and its fingers holding semi-circular claws:  for of the grindstones less than half is visible.