Just before I reached the door, though, I heard one of the men say to his neighbour—heard it plainly over the whirr and churring of the stones:
“I’ve know’d dawgs poisoned for less than that.”
“What shall I do?” I asked myself as soon as I was outside; but the answer did not come. I could only think that my uncles had trouble enough on their hands, and that though it was very evident that the men at work for them were not very well affected, it was not likely that we had any one who would wilfully do us an injury.
After all, too, nobody had threatened to poison the dog; it was only a remark about what had been known to happen.
All this had taken but a very short time, and by the time I had joined my uncles they were just entering the office on the upper floor that looked over the dam.
There were several men at work here at lathes and benches, and their tools made so much noise that they did not notice my entrance, closely followed by the dog; and so it was that I found out that they, too, must have known all about the cowardly attempt of the night, for one said to another:
“Didn’t expect to be at work here this morning; did you, mate?”
“No,” growled the man addressed; “but why can’t they leave un aloan. They pay reg’lar, and they’re civil.”
“What do you mean?” said the first speaker sharply. “You going to side wi’ un! What do we want wi’ a set o’ inventing corckneys here!”
Just then he caught sight of me, and swung round and continued his work, while I walked straight to the office door and went in, where Uncle Jack was just opening a window that looked out upon the dam.