safe.

This amphitheatre was now a busy scene, empty trucks being pushed off,
full trucks being pushed on, all the men carrying lighted lanterns, that
wavered and glinted like "wills of the wisp." Presently a bell rung, and
a portion of the men, to whom this was a signal, left off work and began
to put on their jackets and to await the descent of the cage to take them
up in parties. At this moment Hope met, to his surprise, a figure that
looked like Ben Burnley. He put up his lamp to see if he was right, and
Ben Burnley it was. The ruffian had the audacity to put up his lamp, as
if to scrutinize the person who examined him.

"Did I not discharge you?" said Hope.

"Ay, lad," said Ben; "but your master put me on again." With that he
showed Bartley's order and signature.

Hope bit his lips, but merely said, "He will rue it." Burnley sidled
away; but Hope cried to one or two men who were about,

"Keep a sharp lookout on him, my men, your lives are not safe whilst he's
in the mine."

Burnley leaned insolently against a truck and gave the men nothing to
observe; the next minute in bustled the honest miner at whose instance
Hope had come down the mine, and begged him to come and visit the
shoring at once.

Hope asked if there were any other men there; the miner replied in
the negative.

"Very well, then," said Hope, "I'll just take one look at the water here,
and I'll be at the shoring in five minutes."

Unfortunately this unwary statement let Burnley know exactly what to do;
he had already concealed in the wood-work a canister of dynamite, and a
fuse to it to last about five minutes. He now wriggled away under cover
of Hope's dialogue and lighted the fuse, then he came flying back to get
safe out of the mine, and leave Hope in his death-trap.

But in the meantime Grace Hope came down in the cage, and caught sight of
her father and came screaming to him, "Father, father!"

"You here, my child!"

"There's a plot to murder you! A man called Burnley is to cause an
explosion at the old works just as you visit them."

"An explosion!" cried Hope, "and fire-damp about. One explosion will
cause fifty--ring the bell--here men! danger!"

Then there was a rush of men.

"Ben Burnley is firing the mine."

There was a yell of fury; but a distant explosion turned it to one
of dismay. Hope caught his daughter up in his arms and put her
into a cavity.

"Fly, men, to the other part of the mine," he cried.

There was a lo