’Whether he knows or not I’ll tell, because you wish it. If he does kill me, it don’t matter much.’ Then she looked him steadily in the eyes, and said: ’This be the way in which it be done. Vaither puts the gold dust in. When the bell rings, that’s the signal for he to be ready up at the head o’ the launder’ (wooden channel) ’where the water runs along to go to the washing pans, and he just slips in some of the gold into the water. So the stream carries it down into the washing places where the pounded stone is ready to be washed.’ Herring almost laughed. The solution of the puzzle was simplicity itself—so simple that it had escaped every one. Every eye had watched the stone, no one had thought that the water might be salted. ’I’ll show you some of it,’ said Joyce. ’There is a little bag hid away under the table. You understand vaither don’t put none in when there be no vules to find it. Old Tramplara pulls a cord, and that lets the water on; and when the water is let on, vaither sprinkles the gold in it. He don’t do it when there be no vules there, for Tramplara sez he ha’n’t got much of the gold to waste. Then, after it has been washed and sorted out, he gives it back to vaither, and in it goes again for more vules to find. I’ve done it once or twice myself for vaither, when he couldn’t go hisself. That be how I came to know about it.’ ’I am lastingly indebted to you, Joyce, for telling me this.’ ’You won’t bring vaither to no harm because of this, will’y now? That ’ud be too cruel onkind o’ you. But no—you’ll never do no hurt to me nor vaither, I be sure.’ ’Indeed I will not, dear Joyce. I shall never forget what I owe to you for having told me this; and I promise you your father shall not suffer for it.’ *CHAPTER XXVII.* *COBBLEDICK’S RHEUMATICS.* John Herring did not go at once to Mr. Battishill with the account of what he had heard. He waited till he had himself witnessed the transaction. Some time before the public were admitted to the mine, he went in that direction, making however a wide circuit, and secreted himself behind some of the rocks that commanded the head of the ’launder.’ There he remained till Old Grizzly arrived, and, after having looked about him, lay down beside the stream close to the sluice that let the water into the wooden conduit for the washing floors. Herring saw him strew the dust in the stream as it was admitted; he remained at his post of observation till some time after Cobbledick had departed, and then he went direct to West Wyke.