and the drawers followed the socks, while
Robert looked at his mother with eyes of wonderment.

"Tak' aff his socks, Rob," she said, "he's a thrawn, ill-natured cat,
that, in the mornin'."

"Well, he should look what he's doin' an' no' put on other folk's
claes," and immediately the others burst out laughing, for this advocate
of "watchin' what he was doin'" had in his half sleepy condition failed
to see that he had lifted his jacket and had rammed his leg down the
sleeve in his hurry and anger.

"Noo, that'll do," said Geordie, as John flung the jacket at Robert,
because he laughed. "That'll do noo, or I'll come alang yer jaw," and
thus admonished John was at once silent.

Robert soon had his toilet completed, however, even to the old cap on
his head, upon which sat the little oil-lamp, which he handled and
cleaned and wiped with his fingers to keep it bright and shiny, whilst
all the time he kept chattering.

"For ony sake, laddie, hand your tongue," said Geordie at last, as he
drew in his chair to the table to start upon the frugal breakfast of
bread and butter and tea. "Your tongue's never lain since you got up."

Robert, thereupon, sat down in silence at the table, though there were a
hundred different things he wanted to ask about the pit. He could not
understand why everyone felt and looked so sleepy, nor divine the cause
of the irritable look upon each face, which in the dim light of the
paraffin lamp gave a forbidding atmosphere to the home at this time of
the day.

At last, however, the meal was over, and when Geordie had lit his pit
lamp and stuck his pipe in his mouth, all three started off with a curt
"Good morning" to Mrs. Sinclair, who looked after her boys with a smile
which chased away the previous irritability from her face.

Arrived at the pit-head, they found a number of miners there squatting
on their "hunkers," waiting the time for descending the shaft. As each
newcomer came forward, the man who arrived immediately before him called
out: "I'm last." By this means--"crying the benns,"--as it was
called--the order of descent was regulated on the principle of "First
come, first served." Much chaffing was leveled at little Robert by some
of the younger men regarding his work and the things which would have to
be done by and to him that day.

At last came the all important moment, and Robert, his father and two
men stepped on to the cage. After the signal was given, it seemed to the
boy as if