"  Now,  looky  here,  we  might  as  well  come  to  terms,"
he  said.  "  Sevenoakes  sent  me  back,  and  promised  us
that  we  don't  have  to  submit  to  no  kind  of  tyranny  at
all.  Sevenoakes  is  a  man,  by  thunder!  Now,  we  don't
none  of  us  want  to  do  nothin'  to  you.  You  just  go
along  and  behave,  and  we  '11  all  do  our  work,  and  minj
our  own  business  too.  But  if  you  go  to  makin'  a  mud
dle,  and  if  Sevenoakes  goes  back  on  us,  we  've  all  de
cided  on  a  course  of  action  that'll  mighty  soon  bring
you  both  back  to  terms.  We  've  stood  it  long  enough,
—  so  long  that  we  did  n't  know  enough  to  help  ourselves
until  somebody  tol'  us  how  it  looked  to  be  kicked
aroun'.  We  've  been  blamed  fools  not  to  stick  up  for
our  rights  before;  but  you  ken  bet  we  're  a-goin'  to  do  it
now,  by  thunder,  every  last  one  of  us!  I'm  here  by
order  of  Sevenoakes,  and.  here  I  stay  !  "

"  I  will  wait  just  long  enough  to  explain  that  you  can
come  here  by  no  one's  order  except  mine.  Mr.  Seven-


THE    STRIKE.  215

oakes  has  no  authority  to  send  you  here  except  through
me.  He  has  given  me  entire  control,  and  cannot  inter
fere  in  the  least  without  revoking  my  authority.  And
so  you  may  as  well  consider  yourself  here  without  right,
and  leave  the  mill.  I  will  settle  the  matter  with  Mr.
