318 LI KM OK r.lJLMHJ-y. PARTY. 



twenty-live miles thither on the Saturday night, and on 

 the following Sunday morning he had waited on Mr. 

 Appleton, the proprietor of the mill, and requested per- 

 mission to inspect the machinery. With an unusual 

 degree of liberality Mr. Appleton gave the required 

 consent, and Brindley spent the whole of that Sunday in 

 the most minute inspection of the entire arrangements of 

 the mill. He could not make notes, but he stored up the 

 particulars carefully in his head ; and believing that he 

 had now thoroughly mastered the difficulty, he set out 

 upon his return journey, and walked the twenty-five 

 miles back to Macclesfield again. 



Having given this proof of his determination, as he 

 had already given of his skill in mechanics, Bennett was 

 only too glad to give up the whole conduct of the con- 

 tract thenceforth to his apprentice ; Brindley assuring 

 him that he should now have no difficulty in completing 

 it to his satisfaction. No time was lost in revising the 

 whole design ; many parts of the work already fixed 

 were rejected by Brindley, and removed; others, after 

 his own design, were substituted; several entirely new 

 improvements were added ; and in the course of a few 

 weeks the work was brought to a conclusion, within the 

 stipulated time, to the satisfaction of the proprietors of 

 the mill. 



There was now no longer any question as to the ex- 

 traordinary mechanical skill of Bennett's apprentice. 

 The old man felt that he had been in a measure saved 

 by young Brindley, and thenceforth, during the re- 

 mainder of his apprenticeship, he left him in principal 

 charge of the shop. Thus for several years Brindley 

 maintained his old master and his family in respectability 

 and comfort ; and when Bennett died, Brindley carried 

 011 the concern until the work in hand had been com- 

 pleted and the accounts wound up ; after which he 

 removed from Macclesfield to begin business on his 

 own account at the town of Leek, in Staffordshire. 



