theft; and circumstances did look black against me, for I had paid away a shilling that happened to be known by some peculiarity, and which was identified as a part of the missing fund. How did I obtain the shilling? they asked. And I could not answer.'

"Could not? Israel, harshly.

What does that mean?' demanded

'You shall hear, sir. They threatened me, and finally gave me in charge, and I was locked up in a horrible place, and spent a night such as I can never forget; but when I was on my way next morning to the police office, the persons in charge were overtaken by other officers, and we all went back to the station; where was my principal employer, who begged my pardon before them all, and said he knew now beyond all question I was innocent, for the guilty party had confessed."

And the guilty party?' queried Israel, as if still dubious of the truth of the story, while inclining to wish it true.

'Was his own brother; he is dead now, or I should not expose him.'

6

That was the cause of your lift in life, was it?'

'Yes. They kept me employed, but in tasks of a more and more pleasant kind, and caused me to be educated; and then I wanted to please them, and also I wanted to get on; and they had for acquaintances my present employers, whose chief business was in mining. I often heard them complain how difficult it was to find men with scientific training, who could give the art of mining the benefit of the increasing knowledge of our time. So I began to read mining books, and then I got interested; and by degrees they found what little I picked up proved of use; and at last they were so good as to allow me-under articles to them-to go through quite a course of mining studies; and I was lucky in passing an important examination, and-and so in the end they were satisfied, and tried me practically, and there too I satisfied them, and-and-yes-that is all my story.'

Young man, I don't know which I like best, the story

or the telling of it. You see me perhaps moved by it. So I may tell you I had a son, who might have been just what you are-but, however, it's too late to think of that To-morrow then you will begin operations? They shook hands and parted.

now.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

IN SUSPENSE.

ANXIOUSLY did Israel Mort watch for the close of the first day of the stranger's labours in the mine, hoping, when they met, to judge how far he had been satisfied with the prospects of things.

But in vain he hung about the grimy office, waiting for Mr. Knight's re-ascent, hour after hour, at the time he expected him, between four and six in the afternoon, when the bulk of the men were leaving work.

The Deputy, Rees Thomas, when spoken to on the subject, could give no further information than this: Mr. Knight had with him two persons-his assistants, evidently skilled in the technical and scientific details of mining; that whenever he, Rees Thomas, came across them, they were all busily at work with paper and pencil, and measuring, and other apparatus; but that their leader evidently wished not to be spoken to; for he, Rees Thomas, confessed to have been sufficiently curious to wish to have a little talk with him, till he found that gentleman courteously but plainly intimate by his behaviour that his, Rees Thomas's, departure would be more desirable than his stay.

To Israel's great surprise, he learned, late in the evening, Mr. Knight did not intend to leave the mine at all till he had finished; and had accordingly sent for provisions, and for the top coats, cloaks, &c. of the three, so that they might lie down for an hour or two, when they needed rest.

'Well done,' thought Israel to himself. That young fellow has the right stuff in him, after all, though he did seem to be somewhat over-impressionable.'

When the second day ended, the job was still unfinished, but there were no signs that Mr. Knight faltered in his purpose. Fresh provisions were sent for, implying at least a second night's labour.

A brief but kind note from the young man reached Israel with this last demand. It was, however, simply to thank him for various little delicacies and comforts Israel had caused to be added from time to time to their list of wants; and begging him not to trouble any more, as they had all they could with any propriety make use of, under the circumstances.

Israel could not make out from this whether Mr. Knight was really pleased and thankful at what he had done, or whether it was not, as he suspected, a hint that he would rather be freed from any favours. At all events, the note stopped all further personal courtesies on his part.

It was curious how the fact of the young fellow's choosing to sleep in the mine interested Israel, and set his thoughts speculating on the reason.

The desire to continue his duties by night Israel understood perfectly well; for then, though some labour still went on, the mine was at its quietest. No trams went knocking about, no places were inaccessible, no eyes were overlooking them, which might be made use of to report to Israel about their doings, and so try to discover their every suspicion, fear, or thought.

But the sleeping there! That he could not understand under any other conditions than such as make colliers sometimes sleep-that is, over-fatigue, and therefore taken almost without intention.

Could he have looked into the young man's breast, these speculations would have indeed have assumed new and deeper significance. It was, in a word, David's fright about the mine, and about his own possible behaviour there, that first made him determinedly shun, as

far as possible, all observation, and then, through excess of fear, perform an act of signal courage-that was, resolve not to leave the mine at all till his work was done, in order that he might the sooner get out of it altogether.

As to Rees Thomas, David had of course known him instantly, and for the moment had been strongly tempted to speak to him. But fear of discovery checked the desire, and impelled him almost churlishly to get rid of his old friend's inconvenient presence, even while he yearned to ask him about his face and the accident that had so disfigured him.

How David did master the inward swellings of heart, as he worked in that dangerous place; as he moved on, examining the most inaccessible spots, and which were necessarily the most threatening; as he saw places where a Fall had actually occurred, and become the scenes of sad but unnoted tragedies beyond the immediate neighbourhood; and where the roof had been propped and made passable with the least possible expenditure of wood and labour-how he bore all this, while seeming to his assistants only deeply immersed in all the duties of his office, no one knew; nor was he ever after inclined to dwell on this, the period of his greatest self-struggle and selfsacrifice.

They finished their task before daybreak on the morning of the third day; and when Israel came to the pit mouth at five o'clock, to see how they were getting on, he found that the man he had waited for so long, and so anxiously, was gone-he and his assistants-leaving neither message nor letter behind!

'Looks bad!' ejaculated Israel. The beginning of the end, I suppose!'

He said no more, but his face seemed to get back all its former hard, rigid, stone-like aspect; and to utterly lose that almost indescribable sense of sadness that had stolen over it ever since the day of his first meeting with the young civil engineer from London.

Was it true, he had again and again asked himself, that which he had said, that David might have been just

such another? Could he have had the ability, the selfpossession, the modesty, the prudence, the business sagacity of this young man? Probably not. Excellent things do not so readily repeat themselves in this barren world, thought Israel. But David might have fallen short of this man, and yet have been a wondrous support to Israel.

Where was he? What doing? Could he, Israel, change and forego his long-cherished determination to make his son yield, come to him and ask forgiveness, or remain in estrangement, his very place and mode of life unknown, uncared for?

He feared this young Mr. Knight, even while he respected him. Israel had faith in his power to influence those he came in contact with for his own advantage; but, somehow, this man, on whose opinion so much depended, had shown clearly he knew his duty to his employers, and meant to fulfil it without bias of fear or favour.

And then Israel asked himself a question that for him was something wild, grotesque, portentous-Had this young fellow any any heart?

'He seemed to like me-to be interested in me; and I suppose it was through that I liked and got interested in him; and yet, though he can easily guess this capital question is one of life and death to me, he goes off without even a word or a look that may show me I have something to hope for from his report."

A trying week of suspense followed; one that seemed as if it were likely, unless soon ended, to seriously unsettle Israel's methodical habits, if not modify his character. On the sixth morning, he got the letter.

Israel opened it, and read as follows:

'Dear Sir,—Mr. Knight having made a careful examination of your mine, has since then reported to us the result.

'We deeply regret to say it is, to our minds, unsatisfactory. While Mr. Knight felt bound to inform us how extreme was the state of dilapidation into which the mine had been allowed to fall, and the very heavy outlay that must be incurred before it could be safely and profitably

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