"What!" he cried, as his visitor rose to go. "You are not going to run off without your revenge. Eh! What?" he said, as Reed quietly took out his watch, and held the face toward him. "Oh, absurd! That thing must be wrong! Eh! No. Mine says the same. Eleven; and I thought it was not near ten. But you will stay now?" "Don't tempt me, sir. I have a busy day to-morrow." "But you could leave here early." "Not so early as I could wish, sir. There is a special reason, too, for my being at the mine early. I have a sort of quarrel on the way with my principal man, Sturgess." Dinah turned pale, while there was a strange, fixed look in her eyes. "The man has been very strange of late, and I had to take him severely to task to-day. I want to meet him when he first comes to the mine. There cannot be two masters there." He looked smilingly at Dinah, and saw the trouble in her face. "Nothing to alarm you," he said, taking her hand to hold in his, while the Major suddenly recollected that he had a letter he should like to send, so that one of the men could take it on in the morning. "You are nervous again about my crossing the hills so late. Why should you be, dearest?" He drew her toward him, and she yielded to his embrace. "It was not that," she said faintly. "You talked of a quarrel with-- with--" "My foreman, Sturgess. Hardly a quarrel, but the sharp talking to, necessary to be given by a master." At that moment the dog began to bark violently, and Dinah caught Clive's arm and clung to him in dread lest he should go possibly into danger. "It is nothing, dearest," he whispered, proud of the way in which she clung to him for protection, while she listened with her eyes dilated, as there was the sound of the window in the Major's den being opened, and his voice challenging. "Is Mr Reed here, sir?" came from the garden. "My clerk--Robson, from the mine," said Reed, rather excitedly. "Whatever brings him here?" "Your man, my dear boy," said the Major, entering. "He has brought you a despatch." "It must be important," said Reed quickly; and he passed his hand across his forehead. "I was half afraid there was some accident. Come in, Robson," he continued, as he stepped into the little passage. "What is it?" "A telegram, sir, from London. The postmaster sent it over at once by special messenger." Reed took the missive and went back into the little drawing-room, where Dinah stood pale and anxious, while the Major sat writing his letter there. "Come, little wifie to be," whispered Reed tenderly, "I have no secrets from you. This cannot be business, and you must share my troubles as well as joys." The Major glanced at them with a sigh full of regrets for the past, and smiled sadly as he saw his child pass her arm through Reed's, and lean on him while he opened the envelope, and held it so that she could peruse the telegram at the same time. It was very brief:--