in an undertone; "what's
that?"

"Hush!" she whispered. "Don't show Dr. Hornblower how little you know.
Remember that you're from the East, too."

But Dr. Brownlee was animated by no such motives of prudence, and
quietly asked for an explanation of the term.

"We have two sets of men," Mr. Everett answered. "The day shift goes on
at seven, and works till half past five; and the night one comes on at
seven in the evening, and stays till half past five in the morning. Of
course that's harder on one set of men than the other, so, once in two
weeks, we have what we call change day. The day shift goes on at seven,
and works till three; then the night fellows come right on and stay till
eleven; and the old day shift comes back at eleven. By the next morning,
you see, their places are just changed, and the night men are working in
the daytime. Now," he added, as he stepped to the shaft, to ring his own
private signal; "we'll go up and take a look through the smelter
before--Why, where are Mrs. Pennypoker and Dr. Hornblower?"

There was a startled pause. No one had seen the missing members of the
party since they had left the head of the drift, although they had
supposed them to be following close behind their companions. Turning,
they looked back up the cross-cut, but there was no Mrs. Pennypoker in
sight. It seemed impossible that they could have lost their way, in a
long, straight corridor, less than ten feet wide; some accident must
have befallen them. Worst of all, there was no time for delay; the cage
had just come for them, and in the distance could be heard the steps of
the approaching miners, as they came in for the change of shift.

"We mustn't keep the cage waiting for us, now," said Mr. Everett
hastily. "You go up with the others, Somers, and I'll go back and look
them up. They can't be far off."

Turning, he walked rapidly back up the cross-cut, expecting at every
moment to meet the truants, so sure was he that they had only loitered
along behind the others, absorbed in discussing the spiritual welfare of
Wang Kum and his Mongolian brethren. It was not until he had turned into
the drift, and paused to question a group of miners whom he met there,
that he began to be seriously alarmed. The men had not seen Mrs.
Pennypoker and her escort since they had all been together at the head
of the drift. Mr. Everett felt no hesitation in accepting their
statement, for, in their ignorance of the relationship between the