endeavouring to solve.

"There doesn't seem to be a sixpence circulating through the whole
place," he remarked to the agent when that gentleman had concluded
his statement of the position of matters.

"And there never will be, until some one puts money into the village
instead of taking it out of it," said the agent.

"You refer to the land-owners?"

"I do. And it's many's the time I wrote your father them same
words."

"It is surely not unnatural for owners to expect to be paid for the
use of houses and land, is it? We expect it in England," said
Kingsnorth drily.

"In England the landlord usually lives on his estate and takes some
pride in it."

"Small pride anyone could take in such an estate as this,"
Kingsnorth laughed bitterly. Then he went on: "And as for living on
it--," and he shrugged his shoulders in disgust. "Before the
Kingsnorths came into possession the MacMahons lived on it, and
proud the people were of them and they of the people, sir."

"I wish to God they'd continued to," said Kingsnorth wrathfully.

"They beggared themselves for the people--that's what they did, sir.