"Yes, and suppose that he does. Is there any harm in it? Isn't it
his duty to do what he can for himself? Don't you try to earn all
you can?"

"Ay," said Aaron. "But there's soon a limit to what I can earn.--It's
like this. When you work it out, everything comes to money. Reckon
it as you like, it's money on both sides. It's money we live for, and
money is what our lives is worth--nothing else. Money we live for,
and money we are when we're dead: that or nothing. An' it's money as
is between the masters and us. There's a few educated ones got hold
of one end of the rope, and all the lot of us hanging on to th' other
end, an' we s'll go on pulling our guts out, time in, time out--"

"But they've got th' long end o' th' rope, th' masters has," said
Brewitt.

"For as long as one holds, the other will pull," concluded Aaron
Sisson philosophically.

"An' I'm almighty sure o' that," said Kirk. There was a little pause.

"Yes, that's all there is in the minds of you men," said the landlady.
"But what can be done with the money, that you never think of--the
education of the children, the improvement of conditions--"

"Educate the children, so that they can lay hold of the long end of
the rope, instead of the short end," said the doctor, with a little
giggle.

"Ay, that's it," said Brewitt. "I've pulled at th' short end, an' my