, and whisked his walking-cane vigorously in the exuberance of
his delight.

But, strange to say, his smile was always brightest, and the cane
flourished most energetically, when he turned his eyes on the ruined
mine! He even laughed once or twice, and muttered to himself as he
looked at the picturesque object; yet there seemed nothing in its
appearance calculated to produce laughter. On the contrary, there were
those alive whom the sight of it might have reduced to tears, for, in
its brief existence, it had raised uncommonly little tin or copper,
although it had succeeded in sinking an immense amount of gold!
Nevertheless Mr Clearemout chuckled every time he looked at the ruin,
and appeared very much tickled with the thoughts to which it gave rise.

"Yes! the very thing! capital!" he muttered to himself, turning again
and again to the object of his admiration, "couldn't be better--ha! ha!
most suitable; yes, it will do for 'em, probably it will _do_ 'em--do
'em," (he repeated the phrase two or three times with a greater display
of white teeth at each utterance of it), "a most superb name--Wheal
Do-em--ha! ha! Spell it with two o's to make it look more natural, and
ensure correct pronunciation--Wheal Dooem--nothing could be finer, quite
candid and above-board--no one can call it a swindle."

This last idea caused Mr Clearemout to break into the loudest laugh in
which he had hitherto indulged, and he was about to repeat it, when the
appearance of a phaeton at a turn of the carriage road reduced him to
gravity.

The vehicle contained a party of ladies and gentlemen from St. Just,
among whom were Rose Ellis, Mrs Donnithorne and her husband, Oliver
Trembath, and Mr William Grenfell, a gentleman of property in the
neighbourhood.

As it approached the spot where Mr Clearemout stood, the horse swerved
at a sheep which started out from behind a furze bush, and then backed
so rapidly that the hind-wheels were on the point of passing over the
edge of the road, when the tall stranger sprang to its head, and led it
gently forward.

The danger was not great, for the road at the place was elevated little
above the sward, but it was sufficiently so to warrant a profusion of
thanks from the occupants of the vehicle, and a pressing invitation to
Mr Clearemout to join the picnic party then and there assembling.

"You see, we're not all here," said Mr Donnithorne, bustling about
energetically, as he pulled baskets and bottles f