Tom Evert left his house earlier than usual the next morning, and went to the mouth of the slope, where he found a number of his friends assembled. They began to congratulate him, and continued to do so until in great bewilderment he exclaimed, "What's it for, mates? Is it a joke?" "For thy son, man." "For my son? which of 'em?" "Thy crippled lad, Paul, of course. Is the man daft?" "No; but I think ye must be, to be running on in such a fashion about a lad that's not only a wellnigh helpless cripple, but I'm afeared is going bad ways. 'Twas nearer midnight nor sundown before he came in frae t' street last night, and I sent him to bed wi' a flea in his ear." A perfect roar of laughter greeted this speech. "Wellnigh helpless, is he?" cried one. "Well, if he's helpless I'd like to know what you'd name helpful?" "Going to the bad, is he?" "Out late o' nights! That's a good one." "An' yez sint him to bed wid a flea in his ear, an' him just afther doin' the dade should mak' ye the proudest fayther in de place! Did iver I moind de likes of that?" These and many similar expressions greeted the ear of the astonished miner, and from them he began to comprehend that his son Paul had done something wonderful, and had thereby become a famous character in the village. At length, after much effort, for they would not believe but that he knew the whole story, he learned of his boy's brave deed of the night before. Instead of going down the slope the miner hurried home, where he found Paul, looking very pale and languid, just sitting down to his breakfast. Picking up the frail boy, and holding him in his strong arms as he used to when he was a baby, the delighted father exclaimed, "Paul, lad, forgie me this time, and I'll never speak thee rough again. Thee's made me, I think, the proudest man in the state this day. Crippled and all, thee's proved thyself worth a score of straight lads, and to thy fayther thee's worth all the lads in the world. Mither, our Paul's done that any man in t' mine might be proud of, an' he's the talk of the colliery." Thus was Paul more than repaid for all his suffering of the night before, and as he hobbled to his work in the new breaker that morning he was once more happy and light-hearted. The evening before, Job Taskar had called Monk Tooley from his house, and as they walked away together he said, in a low but significant tone, "That Sterling lad's not down in the mine, Monk." "He must be dere, fer de Sleepers left him where he'd be safe, an' I know he's not come up de slope since." "He's not there, I tell you; for I just now saw him going into Jones's house, and heard him say he had something important to tell him." "If yer saw him and heerd him of course he must be up; but I don't see how he did it. If he's told de boss anything it must be a blab on de Sleepers, fer he can't know anything else." "Whatever it is, he's dangerous to have round, and we must look out for him."