And he shook her hand, and left her standing there, and went up into the mill.
Two of the girls who had come out with Mary Grover, followed him and returned to their work. One, sitting with her in the doorway, on one of the upper steps, and supporting her yet dizzy head upon her shoulder, remained.
Faith asked if she could do anything, and was answered, no, with thanks.
She turned away, then, and walked over the planking above the race way, toward the river, where a pretty little footbridge crossed it here, from the end of the mill building.
Against this end, projected, on this side, a square, tower-like appendage to the main structure, around which one must pass to reach the footbridge. A door at the base opened upon a staircase leading up. This was the entrance to Mr. Rushleigh's "sanctum," above, which communicated, also, with the second story of the mill.
Here Faith paused. She caught, from around the corner, a sound of the angry voices of men.
"I tell you, I'll stay here till I see the boss!"
"I tell you, the boss won't see you. He's done with you."
"Let him be done with me, then; and not go spoiling my chance with other people! I'll see it out with him, somehow, yet."
"Better not threaten. He won't go out of his way to meddle with you; only it's no use your sending anybody here after a character. He's one of the sort that speaks the truth and shames the devil."