ntracts! Now I'm down--not a soul
will spare me!"

The miners' meeting was held the following day on the outskirts of the
town. Pippin had cleared the place to make a public recreation-ground--a
sort of feather in the company's cap; it was now to be the spot whereon
should be decided the question of the company's life or death.

The sky to the west was crossed by a single line of cloud like a bar of
beaten gold; tree shadows crept towards the groups of men; the evening
savour, that strong fragrance of the forest, sweetened the air. The
miners stood all round amongst the burnt tree-stumps, cowed and sullen.
They looked incapable of movement or expression. It was this dumb
paralysis that frightened Scorrier. He watched Pippin speaking from his
phaeton, the butt of all those sullen, restless eyes. Would he last out?
Would the wires hold? It was like the finish of a race. He caught a
baffled look on Pippin's face, as if he despaired of piercing that
terrible paralysis. The men's eyes had begun to wander. 'He's lost his
hold,' thought Scorrier; 'it's all up!'

A miner close beside him muttered: "Look out!"

Pippin was leaning forward, his voice had risen, the words fell like a
whiplash on the faces of the crowd: "You shan't throw me over; do you
think I'll give up all I've done for you? I'll make you the first power
in the colony! Are you turning tail at the first shot? You're a set of
cowards, my lads!"

Each man round Scorrier was listening with a different motion of the
hands--one rubbed them, one clenched them, another moved his closed fist,
as if stabbing some one in the back. A grisly-bearded, beetle-browed,
twinkling-eyed old Cornishman muttered: "A'hm not troublin' about that."
It seemed almost as if Pippin's object was to get the men to kill him;
they had gathered closer, crouching for a rush. Suddenly Pippin's voice
dropped to a whisper: "I'm disgraced Men, are you going back on me?"

The old miner next Scorrier called out suddenly: "Anny that's Cornishmen
here to stand by the superintendent?" A group drew together, and with
murmurs and gesticulation the meeting broke up.

In the evening a deputation came to visit Pippin; and all night long
their voices and the superintendent's footsteps could be heard. In the
morning, Pippin went early to the mine. Before supper the deputation
came again; and again Scorrier had to listen hour after hour to the sound
of voices and footsteps till he fell asle