"May I smoke?'

'No. Against the rules.'
Is it just now dangerous?'
'No.'

'If I do smoke?'

'You'll be fined.'

'And the fines go to

'The colliers' benefit fund.'

'Why, then, it's an eminently patriotic act to do.' He pulled out his cigar-case, and offered a cigar to Israel.

'Do you absolutely persist in spite of my warning?' asked Israel, seriously.

'Don't you see? The thing's done-irrevocable.'
A puff of smoke passed towards Israel's face.

Very well. I shall record the facts in my book.' And he began to write.

'Do, and add that, seeing no further harm could possibly happen through your participation, you had to levy two fines instead of one.'

A grim smile broke out on Israel's face, and soon broadened into a hoarse laugh, the only way he could laugh, as he took the proffered cigar, and followed the example set him.

They continued to smoke for some time in silence.

'Well now, Israel, give me some idea of what must be done. What are these colossal undertakings you dimly foreshadow as likely to turn me into a new Croesus?' 'A second shaft.'

Griffith groaned in spirit, and sighed aloud.
'Go on,' he said.

'Some thousands of new fir props must be obtained, and put up to make the levels even decently safe.'

Costly job,' said Griffith, looking grave. Really

necessary

?'

'A knife cuts into them like cheese in many places.' 'Proceed.'

'Then the engine boilers are so worn as to be dangerous; the spears of the pumping apparatus should be

replaced; and there are many other less important but still serious things to be attended to--'

'Costing money?'

'Yes.'

'In fact, Israel, you are preparing me-mildly-for going to work to make what shall be equivalent to an entirely new plant-eh?'

Something like that, I own.'

Quite out of the question. Quite. So if that's all the prospect'

Wishing no harm to you, Mr. Griffith, I do wish it Inight be in effect a new plant, as that would admit of so many improvements, so much greater economy in winning the coal, and increase so immensely the annual production of the mine.'

Would it?' asked Griffith, earnestly, again lending himself to the thought inspired by Israel's unmistakable earnestness and faith; and half inclining to consider how capital might be raised to do the job once for all in a masterly style.

Israel did not directly answer this query.

6

Do you know, sir,' he said, that the land in which this mine lies was offered to an ancestor of mine in exchange for a cow?'

'And of course he accepted?'

'No; the innocent declined.' The depth of scorn with which Israel pronounced the word innocent was something to remember.

Surely that was never your ancestor?' said Griffith, with unconcealed irony.

6

'If he wasn't, he ought to have been, in accord with marriage law,' said Israel, and then went on. Well, sir, as is the difference between the value of that piece of waste land in the last century and now, so is the value of your mine as it is, and what it might be.'

Are you serious? Do you know or weigh what you say? Stop, I entreat you, and think.' Griffith's voice trembled, his hands were damp with perspiration, he was evidently losing his self-control.

'I say what I say, and know what I know,' thundered Israel, yielding to the contagion of Griffith's excitement ; and feeling the dramatic instinct, that is so strong in the hearts of us all, put him into artistic sympathy with his employer.

They talked on after that a long while, and with increasing respect in Griffith's mind for the knowledge and efficiency of his new manager, and with increasing faith in his previsions of the future goal to be reached; but also with a certain undercurrent of dissatisfaction at Israel's utter disregard of and recklessness about the more humane, religious, and philanthropic aspects of mining affairs, which Griffith thought much of in connection with certain projects for the comfort and elevation and security of the workmen.

He tried to discuss them with Israel, but the latter exhibited his contempt for the subject so nakedly and so promptly, that Griffith found it difficult afterwards to go on and explain himself, and so for the moment let the question drop.

The sums required, too, were very large for a man of Griffith's means, even if only reparation-but sufficient reparation-were decided on; but hopelessly beyond him if the dead works and machinery were to be made equivalent to those of a new plant.

Buoyant with hope, yet burdened with the fear of an overwhelming expenditure; desirous to be a real captain of industry, one who acknowledged duties as well as claimed profits, and at the same time afraid that Israel Mort would in that way be as a perpetual thorn festering in his side; loathing the actual mine as seen with his bodily eyes, but finding entrancing beauties and delights in it when seen only through the spirit's vision of the fruits, Griffith Williams went home that day to find everything about him already undergoing a change;-his rooms looked low-little-mean; his furniture shabby; his servants vulgar; his wife-well, he loved her, but he must-he would say, and with as little of bitterness as possible, she looked and moved and spoke more domesticated' than

ever.

The night he spent was certainly not one of sleep, or rest, or comfort, or happiness. Whether it was a night profitably spent may be better judged when Israel and he shall meet again as appointed, with full details before them of all the manager proposes.

CHAPTER XII.

SHOWING HOW ISRAEL HELPED MR. GRIFFITH TO A DECISION.

IF the woman who hesitates is lost, the man who hesitates is often saved.

Griffith Williams had in him an instinct of caution, which formed a valuable counterbalance to his impulsiveness and constant desire to relieve the tedium of existence by change.

He and Israel laboured, day by day, week by week, through estimates, and proposals, and histories of other successful collieries; and thus seemed to get nearer and nearer to that state of satisfaction which springs from an exhaustive inquiry.

But Israel himself, as a man, did not win upon him as did Israel's general scheme.

Strange to say, one element of this result was a half fancy, almost a definite suspicion, that Israel reciprocated the personal want of sympathy.

This annoyed Griffith. It seemed at once so humiliating and so grotesquely absurd.

He tried to convince himself he was mistaken; but the only result was confirmation of his dislike, and belief in Israel's dislike, to which he thought he found the keynote in a little incident that occurred.

They had been discussing the character of a conspicuous man of the neighbourhood, and Griffith, perhaps with a certain desire to talk at Israel, had been praising his balanced mind, his habit of looking at both sides of a question, and deliberating calmly while others were

urging him to immediate action, when Mort interrupted him

"Yes, he deliberates so long, that when he decides he finds his chance gone, and his decision no longer worth twopence. I spit at such men. Always half-and-half in everything and no two of his halves making a whole. A man who'll never do any good for himself nor anybody else.'

'You are severe,' said Griffith, colouring in spite of his effort to seem indifferent.

'I mean it,' retorted Israel, who was in a bad humour that day at finding no progress made.

What did, what could Israel want? Griffith asked himself seriously. Did this look like expectation of the acceptance of his schemes? He was bound to say, no.

What, then, could Israel be thinking of? Did he want him to sell the mine? Or did he want to be discharged? Had he lost, in a word, faith in his new master, much more rapidly and decisively than his new master in him, and was he pondering new schemes?

About this time a terrible explosion took place in a neighbouring colliery, and for weeks together the whole neighbourhood was full of lamentation for the killed and wounded, who in numbers almost equalled that of a small battle-field. The villages were blackened with funeral processions; charges of the most painful, and some of the most sinister character, were rumoured about as to the causes of the accident, till Griffith, who followed all the details with an irresistible but most depressing fascination, felt that he would not for the world occupy the position of the unfortunate owners.

Precisely at that moment Israel began to press upon him the absolute necessity of heavy and immediate outlay, if he would guard his own mine and his own people from a similar calamity.

No time could be worse. Griffith had just satisfied himself that between philanthropy and profit (such profit as alone attracted him) there was no common ground, but

that one must be chosen and the other left. Need we then