His home with its tiny scrap of rough walled-in garden, which grew nothing but sea holly and tamarisk, was desolate looking in the extreme, but the view therefrom of the half-natural pier sheltering the vessels in the harbour of the twin town, with its busy wharves and warehouses and residences, rising in terrace above terrace, and of the blue, ever-changing sea, was glorious. He had had his breakfast and taken his seat out in the sunshine, when he became aware of the fact that Duncan Leslie was coming down from the mine buildings above, and he hailed him with a snarl and the above words. "Glorious morning." "Humph! Yes," said the old man, looking up at the handsome young mine-owner with his face all in lines, "but what's that got to do with you?" "Everything. Do you suppose I don't like fine weather?" "I thought you didn't care for anything but money grubbing." "Then you were mistaken, because I do." "Nonsense! You think of nothing but copper, spoiling the face of nature with the broken rubbish your men dig out of the bowels of the earth, poisoning the air with the fumes of those abominable furnaces. Look at that!" The old man raised his stick and made a vicious dig with it in the direction of the mine. "Look at what?" "That shaft. Looks like some huge worm that your men disturbed down below, and sent it crawling along the hill slope till it could rear its abominable head in the air and look which way to go to be at rest." "What an idea! It isn't pretty looking. I must say." "Pretty looking! No. Why do you have it then?" "It was there when I bought the mine, and it answers its purpose." "Bah! What purpose? To make money?" "Yes; to make money. Very useful thing, Mr Leslie." "Rubbish! You're as bad as Van Heldre with his ships and his smelting works. Money! Money! Money! Always money, morning, noon and night. One constant hunt for the accursed stuff. Look at me!" "I was looking at you, old fellow; and studying you." "Humph! Waste of time, unless you follow my example." "Then it will be waste of time, sir, for I certainly shall not follow your example." "Why not, boy? Look at me. I have no troubles. I pay no rent. My wants are few. I am nearly independent of trades-people and tax men. I've no slatternly wife to worry me, no young children to be always tumbling down the rocks or catching the measles. I'm free of all these troubles and I'm a happy man." "Well, then, your appearance belies you, sir, for you do not look it," said Leslie, laughing. "Never you mind my appearance," said Uncle Luke sharply. "I am happy; at least, I should be, if you'd do away with that great smoky chimney and stop those rattling stamps." "Then I'm afraid that I cannot oblige you, neighbour." "Humph! Neighbour!" "I fancy that an unbiassed person would blame you and not me." "Of course he would." "He'd say if a man chooses to turn himself into a sort of modern Diogenes--"