'I did not think you meant anything silly. Tell me more in particular. I thought I was giving a touch to the need, with the beef; and a touch to the pleasure, with the apples and candy; and a touch to the comfort, with the tea. What shall I add to the list?' 'Perhaps nothing,' said Hazel. 'But I meant— You know, all those things are down on the same level,—and I wanted to get in strength and exhilaration of some other sort. Though I suppose,' she added gravely, 'I cannot guess how much even of _that_ may be in roast beef when one has never had it before. Strength and hope and purpose may come that way too.' 'They do,' said Dane gravely. 'Well then, you have only to go straight on. Maybe they could not understand some tunes yet, if the bells rang them out.' 'Straight on,' said Dane smiling. 'And that will furnish me with full occupation between this and Christmas. Now another thing. I feel for the people in the other mills,—don't you?' 'O the other mills!' said Hazel. 'I feel for anybody who has any connection with John Charteris.' 'What can I do?' 'One would like to buy them all up! But failing that— What did you think to do?' 'May I have your thoughts first?' 'I was only thinking,' said Hazel, 'that it would not be good taste to go in among the Charteris men at all as among your own. Anything there, I should think, must be more general and less personal. Or done by somebody else.' 'Whom, for instance?' 'If Josephine had married anything but diamonds'—said Hazel, 'I might get hold of her. Or I might do it. But I suppose you would not like that. How could one manage?' The question put to the depths of her tea-cup. 'Why should I not like it?' Wych Hazel laughed a little. 'Really,' she said, 'I do not know. Only you generally do dislike what I do—and I am seldom so happy as to know why.' 'That is a statement which one may call unanswerable,' said Rollo with a significant line of lip. 'And how you dare say it, is more than I can understand. How could one manage? Nothing easier. I draw you a cheque, and you write me an order. Unless you prefer to employ another agent.' 'O I was not thinking of money,' said Hazel. 'But it would not be quite courteous to enact Christmas in the mills without a word to the owner—bad as he is. I wonder if I could get hold of Josephine and hide behind her?' 'No. But you can try it.—What have you been doing, these two months?' 'Studying,—in brief. I do not mean that I have done nothing else.' 'Learning what?' They had left the supper-table and stood together before the fire. 'Learning?—that is another matter. When you study between fights, and fight between studies.' 'Hard learning—well learnt!' said he softly. 'Tell me more. Tell me results, Hazel.' Hazel leaned her chin upon her hand, looking thoughtfully into the fire. 'Results?' she said. 'The result was unconditional surrender. At least I thought so—until—' 'Until—?'