"Have you forgiven me my chimney, Judith?"
Thus he drew a smile from her; then, for the first time, he spoke of his mill, but left her no burden of answering. The walk was short, and he filled it with tales of his men, their weaknesses, their characteristics, the troubles which some of them had confided to him. But he said nothing of his difficulties or of his growing success, though as he talked she thought of them.
"Does it not please you," she asked, "that people speak well of what you are doing?"
"Do they?" was all he answered. "By the way——"
"And the work of organisation?" she asked him.
"It was fun," he said, "and not difficult at all."
"I can't believe you!" she cried.
"Nothing, nothing!" he answered.
"And is all smooth sailing now?"
"One of the men is getting up a strike," he answered. "That is all."