cries and shrieks and tears on the day of the explosion.
A still sadder day was that when, the mine being put in order, the
bodies were brought up from below, and the poor women came round to
claim their husbands and sons.

It was difficult to recognise some of the bodies, but the full number of
those who had been working in the pit were found, and hope left the
hearts of those who had trusted till now that by some means those they
loved had escaped.

Dick set to work as soon as the pit was open, and toiled on bravely;
still all his wages could only just support his mother and brothers and
sisters.

Bad times came too, made bad by the folly of the people themselves. The
men in some of the collieries made up their minds that they would get
higher wages. They banded themselves together, and tried to make the
people of all the collieries in the district join them. When David and
Dick heard of it, they agreed that they were content with their wages,
and that all the men about them were well off, and that they would go on
working without grumbling.

They had not their choice, however. There was a general strike of the
labourers underground and above ground throughout the whole district,
and the pits were closed. They, and others who had not joined the
league, were threatened with severe punishment if they offered to work.

Mrs Kempson and Mrs Adams and many other widows were in a sad way.
They had saved but little money, so they soon spent all they had. Then
they had to pawn some of their things, and then they had to go on
credit, hoping that the lads would soon go to work again. Food was
running very short. They could barely afford bread and cheese; often
they ate nothing but dry bread and drank warm water, for the tea was so
weak it was little better.

Mrs Kempson, who had for so long lived well, felt as if she was dying
of hunger. Dick was pretty nearly starving also. He had not been idle
though, as had most of the people, for he had been hard at work making
all sorts of models.

"I'll take them to Newcastle, to-morrow. May be I'll get something for
them, mother, and bring back food for you and the rest; if not, I'll
look out for some other sort of work. I'm determined to be at play no
longer, to please any set of men."

The miners always speak of being at play, when they are not at work.

Just then a young man, well dressed in seafaring style, passed the
window.

"Do any people of the name of Ke