Page:The Fruit of the Tree (Wharton 1907).djvu/90

Rh good-will of the employer than to any fear of the law.”

“And in what respect do you think the Westmore hands unfairly treated?”

Amherst paused to measure his words. “The question, as you say, is a large one,” he rejoined. “It has its roots in the way the business is organized—in the traditional attitude of the company toward the operatives. I hoped that Mrs. Westmore might return to the mills—might visit some of the people in their houses. Seeing their way of living, it might have occurred to her to ask a reason for it—and one enquiry would have led to another. She spoke this morning of going to the hospital to see Dillon.”

“She did go to the hospital: I went with her. But as Dillon was sleeping, and as the matron told us he was much better—a piece of news which, I am happy to say, Dr. Disbrow has just conﬁrmed—she did not go up to the ward.”

Amherst was silent, and Mr. Tredegar pursued: “I gather, from your bringing up Dillon’s case, that for some reason you consider it typical of the defects you ﬁnd in Mr. Truscomb’s management. Suppose, therefore, we drop generalizations, and conﬁne ourselves to the particular instance. What wrong, in your view, has been done the Dillons?”

He turned, as he spoke, to extract a cigar from the [ 78 ]