"I do not think that I have any occasion to consider your specialreligious opinions in the affair. All I meant to say is, that there is nohuman law to prevent the employers from utterly wasting or throwingaway all their money, if they choose; but that there are passages in theBible which would rather imply--to me at least--that they neglectedtheir duty as stewards if they did so. However I know so little aboutstrikes, and rate of wages, and capital, and labour, that I had better nottalk to a political economist like you."
"Nay, the more reason," said he, eagerly. "I shall only be too glad toexplain to you all that may seem anomalous or mysterious to a stranger;especially at a time like this, when our doings are sure to be canvassedby every scribbler who can hold a pen."
"Thank you," she answered, coldly. "Of course, I shall apply to my fatherin the first instance for any information he can give me, if I get puzzledwith living here amongst this strange society."
"You think it strange. Why?"
"I don"t know--I suppose because, on the very face of it, I see twoclasses dependent on each other in every possible way, yet eachevidently regarding the interests of the other as opposed to their own; Inever lived in a place before where there were two sets of peoplealways running each other down."
"Who have you heard running the masters down? I don"t ask who youhave heard abusing the men; for I see you persist in misunderstandingwhat I said the other day. But who have you heard abusing the masters?"
Margaret reddened; then smiled as she said,"I am not fond of being catechised. I refuse to answer your question.
Besides, it has nothing to do with the fact. You must take my word forit, that I have heard some people, or, it may be, only someone of theworkpeople, speak as though it were the interest of the employers tokeep them from acquiring money--that it would make them tooindependent if they had a sum in the savings" bank."
"I dare say it was that man Higgins who told you all this," said Mrs Hale.
Mr. Thornton did not appear to hear what Margaret evidently did notwish him to know. But he caught it, nevertheless.
"I heard, moreover, that it was considered to the advantage of themasters to have ignorant workmen--not hedge-lawyers, as CaptainLennox used to call those men in his company who questioned andwould know the reason for every order."
This latter part of her sentence she addressed rather to her father than toMr. Thornton. Who is Captain Lennox? asked Mr. Thornton of himself,with a strange kind of displeasure, that prevented him for the momentfrom replying to her! Her father took up the conversation.
"You never were fond of schools, Margaret, or you would have seen andknown before this, how much is being done for education in Milton."
"No!" said she, with sudden meekness. "I know I do not care enoughabout schools. But the knowledge and the ignorance of which I wasspeaking, did not relate to reading and writing,--the teaching orinformation one can give to a child. I am sure, that what was meant wasignorance of the wisdom that shall guide men and women. I hardlyknow what that is. But he--that is, my informant--spoke as if themasters would like their hands to be merely tall, large children--livingin the present moment--with a blind unreasoning kind of obedience."
"In short, Miss Hale, it is very evident that your informant found a prettyready listener to all the slander he chose to utter against the masters,"
said Mr. Thornton, in an offended tone.
Margaret did not reply. She was displeased at the personal character Mr.
Thornton affixed to what she had said.
Mr. Hale spoke next:
"I must confess that, although I have not become so intimatelyacquainted with any workmen as Margaret has, I am very much struckby the antagonism between the employer and the employed, on the verysurface of things. I even gather this impression from what you yourselfhave from time to time said."
Mr. Thornton paused awhile before he spoke. Margaret had just left theroom, and he was vexed at the state of feeling between himself and her.
However, the little annoyance, by making him cooler and morethoughtful, gave a greater dignity to what he said:
"My theory is, that my interests are identical with those of myworkpeople and vice-versa. Miss Hale, I know, does not like to hearmen called "hands," so I won"t use that word, though it comes mostreadily to my lips as the technical term, whose origin, whatever it was,dates before my time. On some future day--in some millennium--inUtopia, this unity may be brought into practice--just as I can fancy arepublic the most perfect form of government."
"We will read Plato"s Republic as soon as we have finished Homer."
"Well, in the Platonic year, it may fall out that we are all--men women,and children--fit for a republic: but give me a constitutional monarchyin our present state of morals and intelligence. In our infancy we requirea wise despotism to govern us. Indeed, long past infancy, children andyoung people are the happiest under the unfailing laws of a discreet,firm authority. I agree with Miss Hale so far as to consider our peoplein the condition of children, while I deny that we, the masters, haveanything to do with the making or keeping them so. I maintain thatdespotism is the best kind of government for them; so that in the hoursin which I come in contact with them I must necessarily be an autocrat.
I will use my best discretion--from no humbug or philanthropic feeling,of which we have had rather too much in the North--to make wise lawsand come to just decisions in the conduct of my business--laws anddecisions which work for my own good in the first instance--for theirsin the second; but I will neither be forced to give my reasons, nor flinchfrom what I have once declared to be my resolution. Let them turn out!
I shall suffer as well as they: but at the end they will find I have notbated nor altered one jot."
Margaret had re-entered the room and was sitting at her work; but shedid not speak. Mr. Hale answered-"