"I say, you know," he cried, "what's the good of rushing on like that, and making yourself so hot? Hold hard now; you've done the coy long enough. Sit down and rest, and let's have a good long talk. You need not look round; there's nobody about, and it's a good two miles to the cottage where your old dad lives." Dinah started and increased her pace. "You see I know. I've seen the old boy in his brown alpaca and straw hat; I've watched him, same as I have you--you pretty little bright-eyed darling. Come, stop now; I want to make love to you." As Michael Sturgess said these last words, he bent forward and caught hold of the folds of the dress, and tried to stop the girl, who sprang round in an instant, striking the dress from the man's hand, and facing him with her handsome face flashing its indignation. "How dare you!" she cried. "Such insolence! You forget yourself, sir, and if my father were here--" "Which he isn't, dear. But bravo! That's very nice and pretty, and makes you look ten times as handsome as ever. I like it. I love to see a girl with some pluck in her. But come now, what's the good of going on like that and pretending to be the fine lady, I know what you are, and who you are, and where you live, as I told you." "I desire you to leave me instantly, sir. My father is a gentleman, and you will be severely punished if you dare to interrupt me like this." "Go on," said the man, with a laugh. "I know the old boy, and have talked to him twice. It's all right, dear, don't be so proud. I mean the right thing by you. I'm down here to take charge of the `White Virgin' yonder, behind where you live, and want to take charge of this little white virgin too. See? I shall have a grand place of it, and I'll make quite the lady of you. There now, you see it's all right. Let me carry the basket; it's too big and heavy for your pretty little hands." He made a snatch at the creel she was carrying, but she drew back quickly, and hurried on once more, fighting hard to keep back the hysterical tears, and vainly looking to right and left for help or a means of escape from the unwelcome attentions forced upon her. But she looked in vain. The hillside sloped off too rapidly for any one but a most able climber to mount, and to have attempted to descend meant doing so at great risk to life and limb. There was nothing for it but to hurry on, and this she did with her breath coming faster--faster from excitement and exertion, as she recalled his words. What did he say? He was in charge of the "White Virgin" mine--the old disused series of shaft and excavation down the narrow chasm which ran like a huge ragged gash into the mountain, and from which hundreds of thousands of tons of stone and refuse had been tilted down the mountain-side to form the moss-grown ugly cascade of stones which stood out from the hill-slope forming a prominent object visible for miles.