The White Virgin Part 8

"No good!" said Reed, with a laugh. "I think there's a great deal of good."

"What, workable stuff, sir?" said the man sharply. "Perhaps; but what I meant was this tremendous hole and the water. Why, Sturgess, man, it's worth thousands."

"Don't see it, sir," said the man roughly.

"I do. A natural drainage of the mine. No expenditure for keeping the workings dry."

"Oh, yes, that's right enough, sir," said the man, with a laugh, "if you've got anything to work."

"I'm afraid Mr Sturgess and I will not get on together," said Reed to himself, as he led the way on, examining the wall from time to time, and now and then chipping off a piece for a specimen.

"If this c.o.c.kney jockey's going to be over me," muttered Sturgess, "he's got to be tough; but he don't know everything."

They reached the entrance to the grotto-like portion of the mine, where Reed halted, took out a sandwich-box and flask, and began to refresh himself, handing both to his companion first; and as Reed ate, he lifted the lanthorn from time to time, and examined the neighbouring walls, roof, and floor.

"All pretty well cleared out, sir," said Sturgess, with a grin.

"Yes--clean," replied Reed quietly; and soon after they resumed their exploration, following the track of the old veins here and there through an almost interminable maze of pa.s.sages, and going farther and farther into the depths of the mountain. But it was always the same, pa.s.sage after pa.s.sage through the limestone, following the old lode of lead ore which had been diligently quarried and picked out any time during, probably, the past two thousand years, and there was no plan, no special arrangement in driving the various tunnels. Where nature had run her mineral in veins, there the old miners had followed; and, as Reed had noticed before, there was scarcely a pa.s.sage that had water lying about, the drippings from the roof and cracks in the walls having worn for themselves little channels, which found their way into others, and then by degrees went to swell the fall by whose side he had stood some hours before.

At last, with his bag growing heavy with specimens, and the supply of candles getting less, and after the termination of the workings had been found and examined in several places, Reed stopped.

"Back now," he said.

"Satisfied, sir?"

"Oh yes, for to-day. I shall follow the other leads, of course, till I have well examined all, and mapped it out."

"And settled where you shall begin work, sir," said the man, with a grin.

"Oh, I have settled that," replied Reed.

Sturgess stared.

"Been a lot of good stuff got out of here, sir, no doubt."

"Evidently."

"More than there ever will be again."

"That's more than we can say, Sturgess. Take the lanthorn now, and lead on straight for the mouth. Good heavens! Why, it's five o'clock."

"Yes, sir, I thought it must be," said the man.

"Time goes when one is interested. There, have a cigar. Light up. We have not done a bad's day work. Can you lead back pretty straight?"

"Oh yes, sir, I can manage that," said the man confidently; but he had been trudging along, sending his and the young man's shadows grotesquely dancing upon the roof for quite an hour and a half before the end of the main artery of the mine was reached, with the sloping shaft up to the daylight--"to gra.s.s," Sturgess termed it--but here there was no response to their hails for nearly an hour, the men having gone.

"The scoundrels!" Reed cried at last. "Well, it's risky work, but we can't stop down here. We must either go back into the mine, try for the other shaft, which may be climbable, or you or I must go up that rope."

"Who's to climb a rope like that, sir?" growled Sturgess; "and how do we know that the end's properly fastened?--There they are!"

For a faint murmur of voices was heard from far above, and now an answer came to their hail, and a minute later a voice shouted--

"All right below?"

"Yes," cried Reed. "Get in the loop, my man.--Ahoy there! haul up."

The rope tightened and Sturgess was raised from his feet and went up slowly, leaving Reed below in the darkness.

But it was all light to the young engineer, whose tired face shone with joy and excitement.

"The blind cavern lizards," he said, half aloud. "I knew it. G.o.d bless the old dad, what a brain he has! He'll be delighted with my report; and Janet, my darling, you shall have a home that will be the envy of all we know, and make the old Doctor proud of us. My darling!" he said softly, as, with his eyes half closed, he raised up her fair young face before him. "Hah! poor old Jessop, too. He must have a bit of the luck. I'll tell the old man bygones must be bygones. We'll have a clean slate. Jess isn't a bad fellow after all. I might have gone down the wrong road a bit if it hadn't been for Janet. Hang it all! the love of a dear sweet girl does keep a weak fellow straight."

He glanced down at his hands and tweed suit, daubed with limestone mud, and showing a couple of tears in the stout cloth.

"Delightful party for a drawing-room, and--hullo! here's the loop."

He secured the rope, which came dangling down, felt that his specimens and tools were safe, and then slipped the loop over his head, sat in it as nonchalantly as if it had been a swing, uttered a loud "All right,"

and the next minute he was being steadily hauled up towards the surface.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

MAKING FRIENDS.

"Hallo, my lads!" cried Reed, as he reached terra firma and gazed around. "I didn't know there was a public-house handy."

"No, no, don't blame the poor lads," said a well-dressed, elderly man, smiling. "They were alarmed at your long absence, sir, and came on to me for help. We came round, and picked up these two brave fellows, and were ready for a search, but, thank heaven, it was a false alarm."

"Oh, that was it?" cried Reed; "then I beg your pardon, my lads, and thank you, sir, heartily. Whom have I the pleasure of addressing?"

"Major Gurdon, at your service, sir," and there was a swift military drawing up of the spare figure, the soft dark eyes brightened up, and the speaker threw back his grey head and gave his long white beard a shake to settle it upon his breast.

"Mr Reed, I believe, the new engineer of the mine?"

"Yes, sir, but at this present moment more like one of the miners," said Reed, with a deprecating glance at his besmirched garments. "Excuse me one moment."

He turned to the men with his hand in his pocket--a hand that did not come back empty, and the new-comers went off slowly, smiling as Reed turned now to the Major, who had stepped forward, eager to speak.

"You look thoroughly exhausted," he said quickly. "I live quite a cottage life out here with my garden and fis.h.i.+ng-rod, but if you will accept my hospitality, such as it is--"

"Really, I could not trouble you--and in this condition," began Reed, as Sturgess changed colour, and an unpleasant scowl came upon his face.

"You will be conferring a favour, my dear sir," said the Major. "One does not often have the society of a gentleman out in this wild place; and," he added laughingly, "the hospitality will embrace soap and water and a clothes-brush."

"Then I accept willingly," said Reed, holding out his hand, but withdrawing it directly as he noted its condition, covered with dried limestone mud, and streaked in two places with blood.

"Nonsense!" said the Major, taking the hand. "I understand these things, my dear sir. I often go prowling about with a geologist's hammer, and have gone home like this. Come along. My high tea will be about ready."