bits, and put together."

"Well, what then?" cried Joe.

"What then? Sam Hardock and the engineer explained it simply enough.
The beam is to have a little standing-place on it at every eighteen
feet."

"Yes, I understand that, and it's to be attached to an engine lever
which will raise it eighteen feet, and then lower it eighteen feet."

"Of course. Well, what's the good of pretending you did not
understand?"

"I didn't pretend; I don't understand."

Gwyn laughed.

"You are a fellow! There'll be a ledge for a man to stand on, all down
the beam from top to bottom exactly opposite the regular platform."

"Yes, I understand that."

"Well, then, what is it you don't understand?" cried Gwyn, smiling.

"How it works."

"Why, you said you did just now. Oh, I say, Jolly-wet, what a foggy old
chap you are. You said as plain as could be, that the beam rose and
fell eighteen feet."

"Oh, yes, I said that, but I don't understand about the men."

"Well, you are a rum one, Joe. Is it real, or are you making believe?"

"Real. Now, suppose it was us who wanted to go down."

"Well, suppose it was us."

"What do we do?"

"Why, we--"

"No, no, let me finish. I say, what do we do? We step on the ledge
attached to the beam?"

"Of course we do, only one at a time."

"Very well, then, one at a time. Then down goes the beam eighteen feet
to the next platform."

"Yes, and then up it rises again eighteen feet, and most likely there'd
be a man on every ledge, from top to bottom."

"Well, what's the good of that?"

"Good? Why, so that the men can ride up or down when they're tired, and
do away with the ladders."

"Isn't that absurd? I'm sure my father never meant to put a lot of
money into this thing so as to give the men a ride up and down on a
patent see-saw."

"Oh I say, Joe, what a chap you are! What have you got in your head?"

"This old see-saw that Hardock and the engineer want us to have, of
course."

"Well, can't you see how good it will be?"

"No, I can't, nor you neither."

"But don't you see it sends the men all down eighteen feet into the
mine?"

"Of course I can. Never mind the men. Suppose it's me, and I step on.
It sends me down eighteen feet."

"Yes, at one stride, and then comes up again; can't you see that?"

"Of course, I can. It comes up again, and brings me up with it, ready
to go down again. Why, it's no good. It will be only like a jolly old
up-and-down."

Gwy