reckless acts in the mine."

"Oh, it's thy mine, is it?" said the man in a provoking tone. "I didn't
know that. Say, Eben Parks, thee mustn't niver smoke a pipe in Master
Philip Hexton's mine."

"Let me goo!" cried the big miner; "let me goo, I tell 'ee! I'll mak'
such a mark on him as he weant forget again."

"Let him go!" cried Philip angrily, "and let him touch me if he dare;
and let him recollect that there is law in the land for men who commit
assaults, as well as for those who break the rules of the pit."

"I'll put such a mark on him as he weant forget," cried the big miner,
after another ineffectual struggle to be free.

"Why don't 'ee goo!" cried one of the men again. "Thee keeps makin' him
savage wi' staying."

"Loose him, I tell you!" said Philip firmly; and they released the big
miner, who came at him like a bull; but as the young man did not flinch,
but gazed full in his eyes, the great fellow made what we call "an
offer" at him, and then let his arms fall to his side.

"Sithee!" he exclaimed, pointing to his bleeding head, and speaking in a
low, hoarse voice, "thou'st made thy mark on me, and I don't rest till
I've made mine on thee. Now goo, while thee shoes are good; thou'st not
wanted here."

Philip turned from him with an angry look of contempt, and addressed the
men:

"You seem to forget, my lads, that under my father I'm inspector of this
mine."

"Ay, and a nice pass too, for a set o' boys to be put over us, ordering
men about as if they was bairns," growled the big miner.

"And that my orders here are to be strictly obeyed," continued Philip,
ignoring the great ruffian's presence. "Why did you men stand by and
see that fool--I can call him nothing else--I say, why did you, a set of
experienced men, stand by, and see that fellow deliberately break the
most important rule in the mine, and not interfere?"

"S'pose men are going to wuck here through a night shift and not want a
pipe o' 'bacco?" said one of them fiercely.

"I suppose that when you work for a company of proprietors, and receive
their money, you are going to obey their regulations, and are going to
avoid damaging their property, if you will not even take care not to
risk your own lives."

"Bah! Stoof!" exclaimed one of the party. "Theer's no danger."

"No danger!" cried Philip, pointing to the other lamps, "why, you see
for yourselves that the mine is terribly fiery to-night. Shame upon
you! Look how the gas ke