ock at the outer door. Recent events had
rendered him so suspicious and cautious that he stepped to his desk and
took from it a revolver, which he held in his hand as he stood near the
door, and without opening it, called out,

"Who's there? and what do you want at this time of night?"

As softly as he could, and yet make himself heard, Derrick answered,

"It is I, sir, Derrick Sterling, and I have got something important to
tell you."

At this answer a man who had stolen up behind Derrick, unperceived by
him in the darkness, slipped away with noiseless but hurried footsteps.

"Is anybody with you?" demanded the mine boss, without opening the door.

"No, sir; I am all alone."

Then the door was cautiously opened, Derrick was bidden to step inside
quickly, and it was immediately closed again and bolted. Leading the way
into the library, the mine boss said, not unkindly, but somewhat
impatiently,

"Well, Sterling, what brings you here at this time of night? working
boys should be in bed and asleep before this."

While Derrick is explaining to the mine boss why he is not abed and
asleep, and giving his reasons for disturbing him at that late hour, we
will return to the mine, and see for ourselves what befell him there,
after the events narrated in the last chapter.

The Young Sleepers had left him blindfolded, alone, and in total
darkness, lying on the floor of an unfamiliar gangway. The boy's first
impulse, when he realized that his persecutors had departed and left him
alone, was to tear the bandage from his eyes and fling it far from him.
Of course this did not enable him to see anything, but he felt more free
now that the cloth was removed, and was thankful they had not bound his
wrists so that he could not have reached it.

His next impulse was to shout for help, but an instant's reflection
decided him not to do so. It was not at all probable that anybody except
his tormentors would hear him, and they would only rejoice at this
evidence of his distress. He knew that all his shoutings would not bring
them to him until they were ready to come, and he felt that he had too
little strength left to waste it thus uselessly.

He could not bear to remain where he was without at least making an
attempt to help himself; so he rose to his feet, and feeling his way
very cautiously, began to walk along the gangway. Although he did not
know it, he involuntarily turned in the opposite direction from the
place where Bill