"No," said Joe. "I'll come on again soon." Tom seemed surprised and troubled, for he had fully expected to find that Richard Glaire was from home. "Thou'rt wrong, lad," said Joe, drawing his breath through his teeth. "Some ill has fallen to the poor lass." "What's up, Joe Banks?" said Harry, the big hammerman, straddling slowly up. "Did'st see owt o' my Daisy last night?" said Joe. Harry pulled off his cap, and gave his head a rub before answering. "Yes, I see her go up ta hill, 'bout eight it weer." "Did you see her come back?" asked Tom, eagerly. "No, lad, no. I see Master Richard Glaire come along though," said the big fellow, under the impression that that might act as a clue. "Yes," said Tom, bitterly. "I saw him, and again at about ten, talking to Sim Slee, and then the lads followed him up street, and he ran into the house." "Sim Slee!" said Joe, thinking. "We'll ask him; but let's go to the police." At the station no news could be heard, and as time went on, plenty of neighbours could be found to say that they had seen Daisy Banks go up the hill; and amongst these was the chattering old woman at the public-house. But no one had seen her return. "Come along o' me, lad," said Joe Banks; and they strode up the hill, a heavy sense of dread gathering over each of the men, as they thought of the chalk pit, and the possibility of Daisy having fallen in, to lie there dead or dying, on the rough, hard blocks at the bottom. The morning was bright and beautiful, and the sun made the dew-sprinkled strands and twigs glitter like gems; but to those who sought Daisy Banks, all seemed gloomy, and in spite of all his bitter feelings, Tom Podmore's heart was terribly stirred within him, so that he uttered a wild cry when just at the top, and ran ahead to pick up something soaked and wet with the night dew. "It's her basket," he cried. Joe staggered, and seemed to turn sick; but recovering himself, he ran up to the younger man. "Yes, it's her basket," he said, huskily. "Tom, lad, look over the rail--I--I can't." Joe Banks sank down on his knees, and covered his face with his rough hands, while Tom shuddered, and then calling up his fortitude, looked over the rail down the steep-sided pit, and uttered a cry as he drew back, ran down the lane to the end of the slope, leaped the gate across the track where the carts descended, and running over the scattered lumps of chalk, made his way down into the deepest part of the pit, where to him it had seemed that Daisy was lying at the bottom of the wall of grey rock. But, no, it was only her dew-soaked shawl; and though he looked in all directions, he found nothing else but a glove. "She must have been here," he said to himself, and in an agitated way he clambered about over the blocks of chalk, and the _debris_ fallen from above; but nothing was visible, and he stood at last looking round.