It was a round table, too, at which Macheson dined that night, but with a different company. For they were all men who sat there, men with earnest faces and thoughtful eyes. The graces of evening dress and society talk they knew nothing of. They were the friends of Macheson's college days, the men who had sworn amongst themselves that, however they might live, they would devote the greater part of their life to their fellow-creatures. They were smoking pipes, and a great bowl of tobacco was on the table. Few of them took wine, but Macheson and Holderness were drinking whisky. Holderness, their senior, was usually the one who started their informal talk. "My work's been easy enough all the time," he remarked, leaning forward. "There were no end of labour-papers, but all being run either for the trades' unions, or some special industrial branch. I started a labour magazine--Macheson found the money, of course--and I'm paying my way now. I don't know whether the thing does any good. At any rate it's an effort! I've been hearing about your colony, Franklin. I shall want an article on it presently." A tall, thin young man removed his pipe from his mouth. "You shall have it as soon as I can find time," he answered. "We're going strong, but really there's very little credit due to me. It was Macheson's money and Macheson's idea. We've got an entire village now near Llandirog, and the whole population come from the prisons. Macheson and I used to attend the police-courts ourselves, hear all the cases, and form our own conclusions as to the prisoners. If we thought there was any hope for them, we made a note, met them when they came out, and offered them a job, on probation--in our village. We have to leave it to the chaplains now--I can't spare time to be always in London. We've two woollen mills, a saw-mill, and a bakery, besides all the shops, and nearly a thousand acres of well-farmed land. At first the people round were terribly shy of us, but that's all over now. Why, we have less trouble with the police in our village than any for miles around. We're paying our way, too." "You've done thundering well, Franklin," Macheson declared. "I remember what a rough time you had at first. Uphill work, wasn't it?" "That's what makes it such a relief to have pulled through," Franklin declared, re-lighting his pipe. "I shouldn't like to say how much I had to draw from Macheson before we turned the corner. Glad to say we've paid a bit back now, though. Tell us about your idea, Holroyd. They tell me it's working well in some of the large cities."