ere," he said, playfully pretending to be
vexed, "I'll fetch thee na moor coils on my yead, so thaa needn't
expect it."

"What's matter wi' the' naa?" she said, looking at him.

"I tell the' I'll fetch the' na maar coils," he responded, rubbing his
scalp as if it hurt him.

"Well then, we may as weel let t' fire goa aat first as last," rejoined
the good wife, a little ruffled.

"Noa thaa shalln't. I loike a gooid foire as weel as onybody; and if
thaa grumbles ony maar, I weant go to th' pit agean."

Sally looked hard at him for a moment or two, and in spite of the thick
layer of coal-dust on his face, she could see there was a smile just
underneath struggling to burst through. "What dost ta mean?" she said,
half laughing herself.

"Mean!" exclaimed Abe, jumping from his seat, and seizing hold of her
hand, "Mean! Why, I mean that I've done with coil-pit; the Lord has
gotten me a job in Huddersfield at my own wark, and I'm goin' in th'
morning, bless th' Lord!"

Sally smiled, wiped her eyes, and said quietly, "Well I niver; aye, but
I am glad; come and get thee teaa, my old collier." And that night
there was sunshine in Abe's cottage hours after the great orb of day
had gone down and left the world in darkness.

CHAPTER IX.

Salem Chapel.

Close to the entrance of the village, at the top of the main street,
and within five minutes' walk of the railway station, stands the
Methodist New Connexion Chapel of Berry Brow. It is situated on the
right-hand side of the street coming from Huddersfield; being on lower
ground than the road, it has from this point a stunted appearance.
Pursuing the decline and curve of the street a little further brings
you to the vertex of a triangle of level ground, on the base of which
the chapel stands. It is fronted by a graveyard, whose two sides
gradually converge towards a little iron gateway at the entrance.

Seen from here the chapel presents a more pleasing appearance, though
even now an observer could not fail to be struck with the dwarfish look
of the building; there is a want of height to give it proper
proportion. It shows a plain stone front, which suggests that the good
people who built it had no money to spend in costly ornamentation.
SALEM, the honoured name of the chapel, is inscribed on the front. The
Sunday-school, which is of more recent date, stands adjoining it on the
left; the foreground treasures up the dust of many pious pilgrims who,
in the day