"Not so," reproved Mr. Churchouse. "We must not go so far as that. Henry
Ironsyde was a God-fearing man and respected the Sabbath as we all
should, and most of us do."

"The weaker vessels come to church, I grant," said Benny, "but the men
be after more manly things than church-going of a Sunday nowadays."

"So much the worse for them," declared Mr. Churchouse. "Here," he
continued, "there are naturally more women than men. Since my father and
Henry Ironsyde's father established these mills, which are now justly
famous in the county, the natural result has happened and women have
come here in considerable numbers. Women preponderate in spinning
places, because the work of spinning yarn has always been in their hands
from time immemorial. And they tend our modern machinery as deftly as of
old they twirled the distaff and worked the spinning-wheel; and as
steadily as they used to trudge the rope walks and spin, like spiders,
from the masses of flax or hemp at their waists."

"The females want religion without a doubt," said Benny. "I'm tokened to
Mercy Gale, for instance; she looks after the warping wheels, and if
that girl didn't say her prayers some fine morning, she'd be as useless
as if she hadn't eat her breakfast. 'Tis the feminine nature that craves
for support."

A very old man stood and peered into the grave. He was the father of
Levi Baggs, the hackler, and people said he was never seen except on the
occasion of a funeral. The ancient had been reduced to a mere wisp by
the attrition of time.