e his son a good education, and make him something better
than he has been himself."

"Yes, sir, but--"

"Hear me out, Bigley. It has been my misfortune twice over to give him
deadly offence, and the last time he visited it upon me by giving
information to the French, which led to, as you call it, my serious
losses."

"Yes, sir," cried Bigley, "and I am miserable. I feel as if I could not
look you in the face."

"Why not?" said my father kindly. "Yours is a good, frank, honest face,
my lad, and you have always been my boy's companion and friend. Come,
come, no more of this nonsense. I have right on my side, and some day
your father will awaken to the fact that the information I gave was
given in the way of duty, and have a better opinion of me. As to you--"

"I must go, sir--I must go," cried Bigley, "I cannot stay here any
longer."

"No, you must not go," said my father firmly. "It is evidently your
father's wish that you should stay, or he would say so when he sends you
money so regularly. There, come, we'll say that he has done me a great
deal of injury, and caused me a very heavy loss."

"Yes, sir, that is always on my mind."

"And that kept you from getting better, my lad. So now I'm going to
make a bargain with you. Get quite strong again, as I hope to be myself
before long, and come and help us at the mine to recover the lost ground
again."

"May I?" cried Bigley eagerly.

"Of course," said my father; and as I saw quite a cloud disappear from
poor Bigley's countenance, I tossed up my cap and cried, "Hurrah!"

CHAPTER FORTY FOUR.

BIGLEY MAKES A DISCOVERY.

The time glided on and the war did not trouble us, for we were too busy
in the Gap, where everything had been restored and even improved, and my
father was fighting bravely to recover from the terrible loss the French
descent had caused to the property, for the rebuilding of cottages and
repairs of machinery, after the store of silver had been taken, left him
very much impoverished; but, as he used to say, it was only a question
of time to get right.

Bigley worked regularly with me, living at the smuggler's cottage with
Mother Bonnet for his housekeeper; and he used to hear regularly from
his father, who expressed no intention of ever returning, merely saying
that he was glad that his son was doing so well, and quite accepting the
position. He used to send money, but now Bigley had ceased to use it,
for he received a regular p