“He demolished the plate of cakes at one fell swoop when my back was turned, and Lady Currey has gone into the house in disgust. She finally, I am sure, washed her hands of the Iverson family. A little cold stew?” Her blue eyes, at present so sexless and so keen, noted the exaltation of the hill-top upon their glad faces, and she raised her eyebrows as she peered into the teapot.
“Well, she’s tumbled to it at last,” she muttered. “And I can go to Canada with an easy mind. I don’t care what she does or does not do with Colin Paton.”
“What on earth are you muttering about, Pat?” laughed Colin. “Is it an incantation to the Family Genie—the teapot?”
Pat looked at him with a broad and bland smile.
“I was thinking out your epitaph, Colin Paton. But it will keep for a few years yet.”
CHAPTER XXIV
THE STRIKE
In the weeks that followed, Wynnstay was galvanized into life through the political and economic fray brought about by the discontent at Langton. Sir John and Gilbert talked the thing out ad nauseam, for Sir John was infuriated at what he termed the ingratitude of the mill employés whom he had kept going for so many years. Had the Curreys even considered another point of view than that of the capitalist it would not have been uninteresting to Claudia to experience at close quarters one of the big problems of the day. But all Sir John’s narrowness and bigotry came out in the contest, so that even Gilbert had occasionally to tell him to moderate a little. It was most important that the men at Langton should be conciliated and kept on his side, in order that the seat should be safe for Gilbert, but how to do that and at the same time enforce his will upon the men was something of a difficulty.
On September the 20th practically the whole factory went out on strike, and Sir John nearly had apoplexy in his wrath.