“Ellen's right,” said she; “she's right. For a man worth half a million to cut down the wages of poor, hard-working folks in midwinter is cruelty. I don't care who does it.”
“Yes, it is,” said Ellen.
Fanny opened her mouth to tell Ellen of the rumor concerning Robert's engagement to Maud Hemingway, then she refrained, for some reason which she could not analyze. In her heart she did not believe the report to be true, and considered the telling of it a slight to Ellen, but it influenced her in her indignation against Robert for the wage-cutting.
“What are they going to do?” asked Andrew.
“I don't know,” replied Ellen.
“Did he—young Lloyd—talk to the men?”
“No; notices were tacked up all over the shop.”
“That was the way his uncle would have done,” said Andrew, in a curious voice of bitterness and respect.
“So you don't know what they are going to do?” said Fanny.
“No.”