CHAPTER XXIV.
A CRUEL PARTING.
At the close of the war the young men of Toroczko who had served in the national guard returned home and resumed their work in the mines and iron foundries.

The mining classes had always been exempt from military service in the imperial army, and so the Toroczko young men had no fear of being soon called away again from their peaceful industry.
Out of these young artisans Manasseh set about forming a guild for the better working of the Toroczko mines.

He wished to make intelligent and skilful mining engineers of them, and so enable them to avail themselves, more fully than they had yet done, of the mineral resources of their native hills.

And having now had some experience of military discipline, these young men offered him material of no mean order for his experiment.

They seconded his efforts with a will, reposing the utmost confidence in their leader, and perceiving that he knew thoroughly what he was undertaking.
It was a great piece of good fortune for Manasseh that he had a partner in his enterprise who was in fullest sympathy with him, and in whom he could place the utmost trust.