and the _Sanatorium_, where a strong
impenetrable fort had been constructed, was well attended to. But there
was really a better chance of finding Rhodes in the open, for he
peregrinated here, there and everywhere, too much of a fatalist, or too
fond of fresh air to be intimidated by what was flying in it. It was
rumoured that the heel had been knocked off one of his boots; and
fabulous sums were forthwith offered in the souvenir market for the
heel. The story had no foundation in fact--though not for lack of likely
heels; _they_ were as numerous as the pieces of shell that had killed
George Labram. The multiplicity of these fatal fragments was one of the
marvels of the Siege. A single piece had struck Mr. Labram, but the
commercial legend pointed to a score!

The shells continued to tear up the streets until mid-day; after which
all was peace for some hours. The information reached the ears of the
ladies in the mines; and the inevitable consequence was an exodus of the
bolder spirits therefrom, to get a glimpse of the sky; for (as the poet
says):--

... the sky we look up to, though glorious and fair,
Is looked up to the more because Heaven lies there;

and had a superlative fascination for people doomed to deplore their
nearness to "another place." The ladies granted interviews with almost
disconcerting alacrity; their narratives of life down below, its joys
and drawbacks, its good intentions, its climatic conditions and
difficulties, were glowing and diversified. Some were happy and
cheerful, while others, fastidious and accustomed to feathers, would
never be happy until they were--dead! The chorused howling of so many
young ladies and gentlemen, ranging in ages from a fortnight to three or
four (years, not fortnights) kept reasoning people awake o' nights, it
was protested; and other inconveniences like the water--tributaries of
the Styx--in the mines made the atmosphere, and the blankets sometimes,
rather humid. These little discomforts, however, were felt only on one
or two floors; and the fair sex in the main were grateful for the
efforts made to make things cosy for everybody. Sanitation was of course
the paramount difficulty; but altogether to their eternal credit must
redound the indomitable energy and labours of the floor managers, the
mine employees generally, and even the directors, in their new sphere of
caterers for half the population. It was a heavy task, all things
considered, but it was do