ung man smiling, "it will give me the means for
better understanding the task I have in hand; and if, mother, I can only
save four or five families from the terrible sufferings we know of, I
shall not have worked all in vain."

"No, my boy, no," said Mrs Hexton mournfully.

"Ah!" he exclaimed, "knowing what I have of pit life, it has made me
wretched scores of times to read some terrible account of the long roll
of unfortunates burned, suffocated, or entombed, to die in agonies of
starvation and dread. Don't be disappointed, father, but let me make my
effort, and work with you."

The elder seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then held out his hand.

"No, Phil," he said, "I won't stand in your way. I'm disappointed
because I wanted you to be something better, but--"

"Better, father! Could you find a better man than Davy, whom we bless
for his lamp?"

"Which the reckless donkeys will open in a dangerous gallery," cried Mr
Hexton angrily. "No, my boy; Humphry Davy was a man indeed, and if you
turned out half as good, or a quarter, I should be proud of you."

"That I shall never be, father," said the young man; "but I mean to
try."

CHAPTER TWO.

DOWN IN THE PIT.

"Don't tell me, lad; I hevn't worked in t'pit twenty year for nowt.
Think I don't know? Him and his newfangled ways are wuth that!"

The great swarthy pitman snapped his fingers as he stood in the centre
of a group waiting for the return of the cage from the bowels of the
earth.

All about them was dark and weird-looking, with the lights casting
strange shadows where the machinery stood around. There was a hissing
noise and a ruddy light from the engine-house, with the panting clank of
machinery; pistons worked up, and wheels spun round; while where the
group of miners stood there was a square, black-looking pit, surrounded
by a massive frame-work, supporting one big wheel, from which depended a
thin-looking wire-rope, which was rapidly running down.

A few minutes after, and there was the ringing of a bell, the
clink-clank of machinery; the wheel spun round in the other direction,
and in due time the cage, as it was called, came to the surface; the
group of men stepped in, and the signal for descent was about to be
given, when one of the men exclaimed:

"Here he cooms!"

Philip Hexton strode up the next moment, nodded shortly to the men,
stepped into the crowded cage, and giving the signal, the stout
iron-framed contrivance began r