All was red brick blazing under a blue sky without a cloud in it; the red brick that turns to purple; and all the roofs were scarlet--red brick and scarlet tiles, and not a tree anywhere. 'You don't seem to have a tree in Hanley,' Mr. Lennox said. 'I don't think there are many,' she answered, and they gazed at the bald rotundities of the pottery ovens. He had never seen a town before composed entirely of brick and iron. A town of work; a town in which the shrill scream of the steam train as it rolled solemnly up the incline seemed to be man's cry of triumph over vanquished nature. After looking about him, Mr. Lennox said, 'What I object to in the town is that there's nothing to do. And it's so blazing hot; for goodness' sake let us get under the shadow of a wall.' Kate smiled, and as they crossed over they both wiped their faces. 'There are the potteries,' she said, referring to Mr. Lennox's complaint that there was nothing to do in the town. 'Everybody that comes to Hanley goes to see them; but the best are in Stoke.' 'I'm sure I'm not going to Stoke to see potteries,' he answered decisively, 'but if there are any at Hanley I dare say I shall turn in some afternoon. I've heard some of our people say they are worth seeing. But,' he added, as if a sudden thought had struck him, 'I might go now; I've nothing to do for the next couple of hours. How far are the nearest?' Kate told him that Powell and Jones's works were close by in the High Street. She pointed out the way, but, failing to make Mr. Lennox understand her, she consented to go with him. He had a kind, soft manner of speaking which drew Kate towards him almost as if he had taken her in his arms, and it was astonishing how intimate they had grown in the last few minutes. 'It doesn't look very interesting,' he said, as they stopped before an archway and looked into a yard filled with straw and packing-cases. 'Yes it is, but you must see the different rooms. You must go up to the office and ask for permission to see the works.' 'I don't think I'd care to go by myself. Won't you come with me?' Kate hesitated; she had very little to do at home, and could say that Mrs. Barnes had kept her waiting. 'Do come,' he said after a pause, during which he looked at her eagerly. 'Well, I should like to see the room where my mother used to work, but we mustn't stop too long. I shall be missed at home.' The matter being so arranged, they entered the yard, and Kate pointed out a rough staircase placed against the wall. 'You must go up there; the office is at the top. Ask for permission to see the works and I'll wait here for you.'