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The next morning, Margaret stood in front of the Higgins' home. She knocked on the wooden door. A short time later, the door cracked open and Mary peered out.
"Miss !"
"Mary!"
Margaret hugged the surprised looking Mary. The children hurried out from their rooms and looked up at Margaret. She smiled as she hugged them and patted their heads.
＊＊
Margaret was sitting relaxed in a familiar environment. The children were all playing house in a corner. She hadn't visited the Higgins' home in a long time and looked around.
"Where's Nicholas?"
Mary placed her drink on the table and said:
"He went to the mill...early this morning. He seemed very busy..."
"I see."
Margaret watched the children play and asked, "Tom too?"
Mary nodded.
"Tom follows him wherever he goes."
Remembering something, Mary took some pieces of paper that were attached to the wall.
"These are letters that Tom wrote for you."
"Oh..."
Margaret looked at the words on the paper. Although it was poorly written, she could see that he had done his best.
"We didn't have money for stamps...so he couldn't send them."
"..."
While Margaret had enjoyed drinking tea and chatting in London, they'd been stuck in poverty, she thought. Margaret looked through each letter carefully. Mary said somberly:
"How long will you be in Milton today? Do you have time to see my father?"
Margaret smiled at Mary and said "Yes..."
"I will see him. Or I should say...I can see him and you anytime from now on."
" ? "
＊＊
At John's mill. Some men were gathered in an empty communal kitchen. John, the assistant plant manager, Higgins, and two others were talking. John said:
"First we need to get materials. Without those we can't start anything."
An observer who was in charge of purchasing said.
"I think we can get it in a few days, but only on the condition that we pay in cash."
John nodded. He turned to Higgins and said, "In the meantime..."
"Do the machines work properly? Can you prepare them for a test run?"
Higgins replied with a stern face.
"Not by myself. I can't do it alone, but I could with the help of Patrick and Robert."