Burnley shook his fist at him, and discharged a volley of horrible curses after him. Whilst he was thus raging after the man that had done his duty he heard a satirical chuckle. He turned his head, and, behold! there was the sneering face of his fellow jail-bird Monckton. Burnley started. "Yes, mate," said Monckton, "it is me. And what sort of a pal are you, that couldn't send me a word to Portland that you had dropped on to this rascal Hope? You knew I was after him. You might have saved me the trouble, you selfish brute." Burnley submitted at once to the ascendency of Monckton; he hung his head, and muttered, "I am no scholard to write to folk." "You grudged a joey to a bloke to write for you. Now I suppose you expect me to be a good pal to you again, all the same?" "Why not?" said Burnley. "He is poison to you as well as to me. He gave you twelve years' penal; you told me so at Portland; let's be revenged on him." "What else do you think I am here for, you fool? But empty revenge, that's child's play. The question is, can you do what you are told?" "Ay, if I see a chance of revenge. Why, I always did what you told me." "Very well, then; there's nothing ripe yet." "Yer don't mean I am to wait a year for my revenge." "You will have to wait an opportunity. Revenge is like other luxuries, there's a time for it. Do you think I am such a fool as to go in for blindfold revenge, and get lagged or stretched? Not for Joseph, nor for you, either, Benjamin. I'll tell you what, though, I think this will be a busy day; it must be a busy day. That old fox Bartley has found out his blunder before now, and he'll try something on; then the Cliffords, they won't go to sleep on it." "I don't know what yer talking about," says Burnley. "Remain in your ignorance, Ben. The best instrument is a blind instrument; you shall have your revenge soon or late." "Let it be soon, then." "In the meantime," said Monckton, "have you got any money?" "Got my wages." "That will do for you to-day. Go to the public-house and get half-drunk." "Half-drunk?" "Half-drunk! Don't I speak plain?" "Miners," said Burnley, candidly, "never get half-drunk in t' county Durham; they are that the best part of their time." "Then you get half-drunk, neither more nor less, or I'll discharge you as Hope has done, and that will be the worst discharge of the two for you. When you are half-drunk come here directly, and hang about this place. No; you had better be under that tree in the middle of the field there, and pretend to be sleeping off your liquor. Come, mizzle!" When he had packed off Burnley, he got back into his hiding-place, and only just in time, for Hope came back again upon the wings of love, and Grace, whose elastic nature had revived, saw him coming, and came out to meet him. Hope scolded her urgently: why had she got off the sofa when repose was so necessary for her?