traction steal was a fair illustration of how in a score of ways
in Remsen City, in a thousand and one ways in all parts of the
country, the upper class was draining away the substance of the
masses, was swindling them out of their just wages, was forcing
them to pay many times the just prices for every article of
civilized use. She had read these things--she had thought about
them--she had realized that they were true.

She did not put to her father the question that was on her
lips--the next logical question after his answer that the company
could not afford to cut the hours lower than fourteen or to raise
wages to what was necessary for a man to have if he and his
family were to live, not in decency and comfort, but in something
less than squalor. She did not put the question because she
wished to spare her father--to spare herself the shame of hearing
his tricky answer--to spare herself the discomfort of squarely
facing a nasty truth.

Instead she said: ``I understand. And you have got to look out
for the rights of the people who have invested their money.''

``If I didn't I'd be cheating them,'' said Hastings. ``And if
the men don't like their jobs, why, they can quit and get jobs
they do like.'' He added, in absolute unconsciousness of his
inconsistency, in absolute belief in his own honesty and
goodness, ``The truth is our company pays as high wages as can be
got anywhere. As for them hours--when _I_ was working my way up,
_I_ used to put in sixteen and eighteen hours a day, and was
mighty glad to do it. This lazy talk of cutting down hours makes
me sick. And these fellows that're always kicking on their jobs,