By the time it was on the table her father woke up and yawned. With his waking there came the thought of his young circus captive, and the vengeance he intended to wreak upon him. This pleasant idea roused him completely, and he dressed himself briskly. "Is breakfast ready, Janet?" he asked. "Yes, father." "What time is it?" "Seven o'clock," answered Janet, looking at the clock over the mantel. "I am expecting Bob Stubbs here this morning. Have you got enough for him?" "I think so, father," replied Janet. She did not speak with alacrity, for Mr. Stubbs was no favorite of hers. At that moment a step was heard at the door, and the gentleman spoken of made his appearance. "You're late, Dick," said Stubbs, rubbing his bristling chin. "Yes, I got tired out yesterday. When the mine's shut down I like to take my time. Have you had breakfast, Bob?" "Ye-es," answered Stubbs hesitating, as he glanced at the neatly spread table, with the eggs and bacon on the center dish. "Never mind! You can eat some more. Put a chair for him, Janet." "This lass of yours is growing pretty," said Stubbs, with a glance of admiration. "There's a compliment for you, lass!" said the father. Janet, however, did not appear to appreciate it, and continued to look grave. "Wonder how the kid's getting along," said Bob Stubbs, with his mouth full of bacon. "I reckon he's hungry," said Dick Hayden, in a voice of satisfaction. "Have you left him without anything to eat, father?" asked Janet. "Yes." "The poor fellow will be starved." "And serves him right, too. There ain't no call to pity him." "Why won't you take him some breakfast if you're going round there? I will put some up in a tin pail." "What do you say to that, Bob, hey?" said Hayden. "It's natural for the gal to pity him. He's a nice lookin' chap enough." "He's nicer looking than he will be when we get through with him, eh, Bob?" "That's so, Dick." As Janet listened to this conversation, her heart revolted against the brutality conveyed by the words. She felt dissatisfied to think that her own father was such a man. She could not well feel an affection for him, remembering how ill he had treated her gentle mother, who, as she knew, would be living to-day had she been wedded to a better husband. The two men did not linger long at the table. They were accustomed to swallow their food rapidly, in order to get to the scene of their daily labor on time. So in twenty minutes they rose from the table, and putting on their hats left the cabin. As they departed Janet breathed a sigh of relief, and congratulated herself that she had released the poor boy, and so saved him from the brutal treatment he was likely to receive at the hands of the two miners. "He will have had plenty of time to get away before father and Mr. Stubbs reach the cabin," she said to herself.