Such was the usual tenor of her observations to her tenant, Grard Moore, whenever she met him where they could converse; and Moore would listen very quietly--too quietly to satisfy her. She would then by her impatient glance demand something more from him--some explanation, or at least some additional remark. Smiling in his way, with that expression which gave a remarkable cast of sweetness to his mouth, while his brow remained grave, he would answer to the effect that himself too trusted in the finite nature of the war; that it was indeed on that ground the anchor of his hopes was fixed; thereon his speculations depended. "For you are aware," he would continue, "that I now work Hollow's Mill entirely on speculation. I sell nothing; there is no market for my goods. I manufacture for a future day. I make myself ready to take advantage of the first opening that shall occur. Three months ago this was impossible to me; I had exhausted both credit and capital. You well know who came to my rescue, from what hand I received the loan which saved me. It is on the strength of that loan I am enabled to continue the bold game which, a while since, I feared I should never play more. Total ruin I know will follow loss, and I am aware that gain is doubtful; but I am quite cheerful. So long as I can be active, so long as I can strive, so long, in short, as my hands are not tied, it is impossible for me to be depressed. One year--nay, but six months--of the reign of the olive, and I am safe; for, as you say, peace will give an impulse to commerce. In this you are right; but as to the restored tranquillity of the neighbourhood, as to the permanent good effect of your charitable fund, I doubt. Eleemosynary relief never yet tranquillized the working-classes--it never made them grateful; it is not in human nature that it should. I suppose, were all things ordered aright, they ought not to be in a position to need that humiliating relief; and this they feel. We should feel it were we so placed. Besides, to whom should they be grateful? To you, to the clergy perhaps, but not to us mill-owners. They hate us worse than ever. Then the disaffected here are in correspondence with the disaffected elsewhere. Nottingham is one of their headquarters, Manchester another, Birmingham a third. The subalterns receive orders from their chiefs; they are in a good state of discipline; no blow is struck without mature deliberation. In sultry weather you have seen the sky threaten thunder day by day, and yet night after night the clouds have cleared, and the sun has set quietly; but the danger was not gone--it was only delayed. The long-threatening storm is sure to break at last. There is analogy between the moral and physical atmosphere."

Such was the usual tenor of her observations to her tenant, Grard Moore, when they met; and Moore would listen very quietly - too quietly to satisfy her. She would impatiently demand his opinion. Smiling with that expression which gave a remarkable sweetness to his mouth, while his brow remained grave, he would answer that he too trusted that the war would end; on that ground his hopes were fixed.
"For you are aware," he would continue, "that I now work Hollow's Mill entirely on speculation. I sell nothing; there is no market for my goods. I manufacture for the future, and am ready to take advantage of the first opening that shall occur. Three months ago this was impossible to me; I had no money. You well know who came to my rescue, from whom I received the loan which saved me. I am aware that gain is doubtful; but I am quite cheerful. So long as I can be active, it is impossible for me to be depressed. As you say, peace will give an impulse to commerce; but as to the permanent good effect of your charitable fund, I doubt. Relief never yet made the working-classes grateful; it is not in human nature that it should. They ought not to be in a position to need that humiliating relief; and this they feel. They hate us mill-owners worse than ever. They hear from the disaffected in Nottingham and Manchester and elsewhere. They receive orders from their chiefs. The danger is not gone - it is only delayed. The long-threatening storm is sure to break at last."
