’Cobbledick,’ he said, ’I have long entertained suspicions of Ophir. I knew it was a swindle, but how the swindling was managed I did not know till yesterday. I had gone through every process of the mine attentively, except one, and I was satisfied that the trickery was not committed under my eyes in the mine itself. There was only one process I had not studied, and that was one which took place above the workings. I allude to the letting on of the water that washes the gozzen. Yesterday I watched that, hiding under a rock, and I saw you steal to the head of the launder, and I observed you salting the water with gold-dust. Now I know exactly how the fraud is carried out. Are you aware of the consequences? I have only to apply to a magistrate for a warrant, and you are arrested and committed to gaol, and there you will probably lie for many months.’ Cobbledick’s face became livid. ’I do not want to throw you into prison, partly because I believe you have acted in ignorance of what you were doing, but chiefly because I wish to fix the noose round the right throats.’ ’Cap’n[1] Tramplara set me on it,’ said Cobbledick; ’he sed, if I didn’t do ’zackly as he wanted, he’d tear down the Giant’s Table, and be altogether the ruin o’ me. He’d got that hold on Squire Battishill that he couldn’t help me. And I did it to save myself.’ [1] The head of a mine bears the title of captain. ’I am quite aware that Mr. Tramplara made you his tool, and I do not want you to suffer, if it can be avoided, because you have been an ignorant and unwilling tool.’ ’Unwilling,’ echoed Grizzly, ’I’ll swear; glory rallaluley.’ ’I repeat that I wish to spare you because you were an ignorant tool, and also, and that especially, because of poor Joyce, who would be heart-broken were anything to happen to you, unnatural father though you be.’ ’Ah! sure-ly it ’ud kill Joyce. Her be that tooked up wi’ me, her can’t abide as no harm should come to I. What ’ud her do without me, I’d like to know? Where’d her get meat, and clothes, and fire? If I were tooked and put in the lock-up, her’d die right on end wi’ fright and hunger.’ The mean old man enforced this view of the case, thinking to deepen Herring’s reluctance to compromise him. ’There may be two opinions about that,’ said Herring: ’suffice it, however, that for the sake of Joyce I would spare you. Now the only way this can be done is for you to decline salting the water to-morrow, when I and other witnesses will be there to see the thing done, and I shall be prepared to arrest the doer.’ ’If I don’t do it, then it be Joyce who does.’ ’But Joyce must not do it. Who is in charge of the mine this week?’ ’Young Sampson Tramplara.’ ’Very well; tell him that you can’t be there.’ ’Ow!’ yelped the old man, ’I be took already cruel wi’ the rheumatics. I reckon in another half a wink I shan’t be able to stir neither voot nor hand.’