ired of praising him."

"He is clearly an extraordinary young fellow," Mr Hardinge said. "Do you
know his suggestions are exactly what I had intended to offer to you
myself? You will have some terrible explosion here unless you make some
radical changes."

That evening the inspectors stayed for the night at Mr. Brook's, and the
next day that gentleman went over with them to Birmingham, where he had
some business. His principal object, however, was to take them to see
Mr. Merton, to question him farther with regard to Jack Simpson.

Mr. Merton related to his visitors the history of Jack's efforts to
educate himself, and gave them the opinion he had given the lad himself,
that he might, had he chosen, have taken a scholarship and then the
highest mathematical honours. "He has been working lately at
engineering, and calculating the strains and stresses of iron bridges,"
he said. "And now, Mr. Brook, I will tell you--and I am sure that you
and these gentlemen will give me your promise of secrecy upon the
subject--what I have never yet told to a soul. It was that lad who
brought me word of the intended attack on the engines, and got me to
write the letter to Sir John Butler. But that is not all, sir. It was
that boy--for he was but seventeen then--who defended your engine-house
against the mob of five hundred men!"

"Bless my heart, Merton, why did you not tell me before? Why, I've
puzzled over that ever since. And to think that it was one of my own
pit-boys who did that gallant action, and I have done nothing for him!"

"He would not have it told, sir. He wanted to go on as a working miner,
and learn his business from the bottom. Besides, his life wouldn't have
been safe in this district for a day if it had been known. But I think
you ought to be told of it now. The lad is as modest as he is brave and
clever, and would go to his grave without ever letting out that he saved
the Vaughan, and indeed all the pits in the district. But now that he is
a man, it is right you should know; but pray do not let him imagine
that you are aware of it. He is very young yet, and will rise on his own
merits, and would dislike nothing so much as thinking that he owed
anything to what he did that night. I may tell you too that he is able
to mix as a gentleman with gentlemen. Ever since I have been over here
he has come over once a month to stay with me from Saturday to Monday,
he has mixed with what I may call the best society in the town