abelled Staveley Colliery, and bearing on it the legend in white
chalk: 'Wanted in No. 1 Road.'

"What do you mean by spying on a fellow like this?" said Peter, angrily.

"Time someone did spy on you, _I_ think," said the Station Master. "Come
along to the station."

"Oh, DON'T!" said Bobbie. "Can't you decide NOW what you'll do to us?
It's our fault just as much as Peter's. We helped to carry the coal
away--and we knew where he got it."

"No, you didn't," said Peter.

"Yes, we did," said Bobbie. "We knew all the time. We only pretended we
didn't just to humour you."

Peter's cup was full. He had mined for coal, he had struck coal, he had
been caught, and now he learned that his sisters had 'humoured' him.

"Don't hold me!" he said. "I won't run away."

The Station Master loosed Peter's collar, struck a match and looked at
them by its flickering light.

"Why," said he, "you're the children from the Three Chimneys up yonder.
So nicely dressed, too. Tell me now, what made you do such a thing?
Haven't you ever been to church or learned your catechism or anything,
not to know it's wicked to steal?" He spoke much more gently now, and
Peter said:--

"I didn't think it was stealing. I was almost sure it wasn't. I thought
if I took it from the outside part of the heap, perhaps it would be. But
in the middle I thought I could fairly count it only mining. It'll
take thousands of years for you to burn up all that coal and get to the
middle parts."

"Not quite. But did you do it for a lark or what?"

"Not much lark carting that beastly heavy stuff up the hill," said
Peter, indignantly.

"Then why did you?" The Station Master's voice was so much kinder now
that Peter replied:--

"You know that wet day? Well, Mother said we were too poor to have a
fire. We always had fires when it was cold at our other house, and--"

"DON'T!" interrupted Bobbie, in a whisper.

"Well," said the Station Master, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "I'll
tell you what I'll do. I'll look over it this once. But you remember,
young gentleman, stealing is stealing, and what's mine isn't yours,
whether you call it mining or whether you don't. Run along home."

"Do you mean you aren't going to do anything to us? Well, you are a
brick," said Peter, with enthusiasm.

"You're a dear," said Bobbie.

"You're a darling," said Phyllis.

"That's all right," said the Station Master.

And on this they parted.

"Don't speak to me," said Peter, as