of chimney tops and the maddening uniformity of sloping roofs of red tiles, were the publichouse, the school-room, and the " Methody chapel, where Geordie, after having experienced the pernicious results of the first, and without having ever received any assistance from the second, was accustomed to occasionally hold forth on Sundays, to the no little astonishment of himself and friends. I do not desire to utter a single word in dispraise of the simple souls who think it one of the greatest privileges in life to have their names upon the "plan," although I have often been amused at their homely illustrations of sacred story, and the evident satisfaction they derived from the talismanic folds of the white neckcloth. Such instructors speak up and down to the level of average collier intelligence, and were it not for their rough, and frequently uncouth, efforts to disseminate Christian truth, I am afraid that the moral condition of many of the secluded pit villages in Northumberland would be worse than at present, bad as the best undoubtedly is. But the society of a converted coal-heaver, or the conversation of an illuminated putter, is not exactly the kind of society or conversation in which a man of culture usually delights. Certainly I did not; although, by sometimes presiding at the annual soirée of their Mechanic's Institute, and occasionally showing my face and best waistcoat at their periodical religious festivals, I endeavoured to gain the good opinion and respect of those among whom it was my lot to sojourn.

I

"But," quoth Sancho Panza to the Duke, "let them dress me how they will; for, however I go clad, I shall still be Sancho Panza." And so I found it with regard to myself. Do what I would, I could not be otherwise than what I was. Ever ready to assist in promoting whatever I thought was calculated to elevate the social and moral condition of those around me, I did not dissemble, nor attempt to conceal, the loathing with which I looked upon their brutal tastes and pursuits. laboured for a short period to beget an inclination for reading among the people, and for this purpose promoted the establishment of a news-room and discussion-class; but I soon discovered that the company of dogs, with which the village swarmed, was more to their taste than the society of the learned, and that the fascinations of the "booling "match and of the orgies with which the fortnightly pay was invariably celebrated, were too irresistible to be readily superseded. Hence I retired more and more within the seclusion of my own home, and occupied my leisure with the composition of those astonishing dissertations on the geological formations of the district which

gained me the envied distinction of being elected a member of one of the learned societies of the country; and in the preparation of a more professional series on such subjects as the probable duration of the Northern coal-field, the double-shaft system, and the dip of the coal measures beneath the sea, for which I received in due form the thanks of the Institute of Mining Engineers.

The result of this voluntary isolation was to secure me the ill-will of the men of Greenwood Fell. Some said I was proud, others that I cared nothing for the men, and others, again, that I was much too deeply enamoured of the charming daughter of the principal owner to deal fairly with the toiling masses. I was denounced in I know not how many popular journals as the unconscionable tool of the masters, and was burnt in effigy at sundry out-door demonstrations of the men. I knew not then, what I now know, that much of this ill-feeling had been purposely fomented by the underviewer, a heavy-browed man of the name of Harrison, who never forgave me for the sin of being promoted over his head to the post of resident viewer. So far, however, from the fellow exhibiting any enmity towards me openly, he always seemed to err on the opposite tack, being over-anxious, apparently, to secure my good opinion by the most abject flattery and obedience. It is true, I had not much respect for the man's ability, but I never mistrusted his professions of esteem. The only thing in his character which thoroughly displeased me was a certain intolerance he assumed with regard to the men. He appeared to think that the best way to ingratiate himself into the favour of the employers was to deal harshly towards the employed; to resist all demands on the part of the workmen, whether just or unjust, and to oppose all concessions on the part of the masters, however called for by the circumstances of the case.

Thus matters remained at the end of 18—, when, after I had been about three years at Greenwood Fell, a strike occurred at the colliery. Originally the matter in dispute was an exceedingly simple one, but from the development of a variety of collateral sources of irritation, the strike was destined to produce considerable fermentation throughout the coal districts. The whole amount at issue did not exceed threepence a day-a very small sum to cause the pit to be closed and about four hundred men thrown out of employment, of whom not more than one-half had any immediate interest in the origin of the struggle. If I remember rightly, the contest arose out of a demand made by the hewers for an advance of a penny and two pence in the ton, according to the difficulty of working, throughout the whole

of the colliery. To this the owners would not agree, but I was instructed to promise that an advance of a penny per ton should be given, provided the men would consent to get the coal by "nicking," as it is termed, a process which consists of cutting down one side of the coal before blasting it with powder, as well as cutting it away at the bottom, which alone is done in what is called "shooting fast." These terms, after being discussed by the hewers in public meeting assembled, were peremptorily declined; but with a view, probably, of securing a speedy settlement of the points in dispute, they offered to accept a penny per ton all through the seams, with the exception of the "Morpeth Way," which they alleged was much harder to work. The masters, acting under my advice, refused to accede to these conditions; for, although the coal in the Morpeth Way was, as stated, somewhat more difficult to work, there was a kind of compensation in the superior height of the seam. The men, however, having been promised no end of support from their own and other unions, should they decide upon turning out, refused to listen to the voice of reason, and struck work.

Day after day passed away without any signs of an early readjustment taking place. The coal heaps around the mouth of the shaft became smaller and smaller by degrees; the colliery itself showed no signs of life, with the exception of the pumping engine which went bobbing up and down with its accustomed regularity; while the miners wandered lazily about, arrayed in their bonniest vests and neckerchiefs, at a loss, apparently, what to do with themselves and the time which hung just as heavily upon their hands as their hands rested heavily at the bottom of their pockets.

While things were thus in abeyance, I was called unexpectedly away to "prospect "amid the bleak and heathery wilds of the North Tyne in search of coal. The valley had just been opened out to the advantages of civilisation by means of the "Waveley railway, and numerous colliery speculators were casting covetous eyes upon the almost virgin territory. But coal mining is a risky business, and capitalists are usually loth to expend their money in digging a large hole in the earth without a reasonable expectation of reaching a profitable seam. Speculators in the black diamonds, therefore, are generally accustomed to consult with the most experienced viewers in the district with respect to the probable extent and dip of the coal strata below before commencing operations on the surface. A few lucky "finds" in this direction had given a fillip to my professional reputation, and thus

it was that I was called away for a brief space from the companionship of my books and the dreary routine of Greenwood Fell.

The duration of my scientific expedition did not exceed three weeks. At the end of that time I returned once more to the familiar scenes. It was at the close of a bitter cold day in December that I drew nigh to the colliery, tired by a long ride, shivering with cold and wet, and in an unhappy condition of mind generally. Circumstances had not turned out promising at the Plashetts; I had not heard from the Fell since I left; and the admonitions of an inward monitor told me that all was not well with the small community whither I was returning. The night, though dark, was not far spent, yet an ominous stillness seemed to hang like a presence over the place. The whole village seemed wrapped in total eclipse. Neither the flicker of a candle nor the glimmer of a fire was to be seen throughout the long lines of cottages. What could have happened?

Spurring my already jaded beast into a galvanic kind of trot, I made for home with the utmost despatch. Singularly enough, I found everything in darkness even there. I knocked both long and lustily at the door, but the summons, instead of my old housekeeper, awoke nothing more substantial than echoes. At length, after my patience, like the courage of Bob Acres, had fairly oozed out of my fingers' ends, and I was preparing to take the liberty of entering my own castle in the only way that seemed possible-that is to say, by main force—I heard the sound of hesitating footsteps within. A short interval of silence ensued, as if the owner of the feet were busily engaged in taking an observation under difficulties through the keyhole, and then the voice of old Nanny-but more tremulous than was the wont with the "organ" of that affectionate soul-was heard to demand the name and errand of the disturber of her peace.

"Why, Nanny," I replied, "know you not your master, woman? Open, I beseech you, and let me enter."

Nanny immediately made a vigorous attack upon the fastenings of the door, and they had apparently been all called into requisition. The chain fell down with a rattle; then the bolts were withdrawn with a hoarse shriek; finally, the key turned in the lock, and the portals of my palace flew open.

"Oh! maister-hinney!" exclaimed Nanny, in an irrepressible tone of voice; "I's see glad ta see thoo cum yem agane. Wor lives nut safe. Tha villans 'ill be here ivvery minnit, an' we'll be ah kilt in wor beds."

I pacified the good old creature as well as I was able, and led her quietly into the kitchen,

where a fire was crackling away very pleasantly.

for the protection of their families and furniture, but which, it is almost needless to remark, were completely successful in neither object. Some households had apparently united their resources, and by means of chests of drawers and bed-linen had constructed a rough kind of tent, under which a man of a vivid imagination might think it possible to exist. For the most part, however, the furniture of the wretched families had no other covering than the sky, nor themselves any other accommodation than such as a four

With every disposition in the world to take Nanny's narrative with a liberal discount, I could not help being greatly startled by the news. I saw at once that the masters had made a cardinal mistake in resorting to such violent measures, and that there was no knowing what excesses a mass of houseless, halffamished, and desperate men might commit. The cottages were not required for the accommodation of fresh hands, it being next to impossible, in consequence of the splendid organisation of the pitmen's union, to supply the places of the refractory workmen. The ejectment, then, could be considered in no other sense than as an act of retaliation, the only effect of which would be to complicate and aggravate the character of the dispute, and produce a noxious crop of ill-will. Had things only been permitted to go on as I had left them, I felt assured the colliers would ●ventually have seen the folly of sacrificing some fifty shillings a fortnight for the sake of a possible gain of threepence a day extra. Inwardly cursing the adviser of the infamous policy which had been adopted in my absence, and leaving Nanny to take charge of Dobbin, I forthwith proceeded upon a tour of inspection, taking the precaution to throw a shepherd's plaid over my shoulders the more readily to escape observation. The "raws," as they were familiarly called, were perfectly still and deserted. Here and there a policeman was to be seen wandering round and round the precincts of the empty dwellings; for it was the general impression that men who declined to sell their labour on their masters' terms, were capable of incendiarism and other enormities, and required sharply looking after by the blue-coated myrmidons of the law. All along the road-side temporary hovels had been erected by the ejected pitmen

ment sleeping on the top, while the juniors disposed of themselves underneath. The whole scene that presented itself was melancholy in the extreme. The grass under foot was sodden with wet; fires there were none, for with the stoppage of work the usual gratuitous supply of coal had also been stopped; and the flapping of the loose drapery and the wailing of children smote upon the ear of passers-by. In some of the tents the feeble light of a lamp only served to display to greater disadvantage the squalid wretchedness of the interior. But why should I linger over details? Any one with a spark of intelligence in his head, or a touch of humanity in his heart, may easily picture to himself the degree of misery that must ensue when a body of workmen, accustomed to constant employment, reasonably good wages, comfortable homes, and generous living, is suddenly driven into the shelterless highway during the most inclement season of the year.

Leaving the scene which I have endeavoured to describe, I entered the village, without having encountered a single soul with the exception of one or two policemen, who did me the honour of flashing the bull's-eyes of their lanterns into mine, and seemed to be of two opinions, whether to take me into custody as a suspected person or to thrust their unwelcome society upon me. The "raws," as I have already said, were enveloped in complete darkness; but the public-house was more than usually brilliant and animated. A couple of flagstaffs at the door, with their well-known legends, "United we conquer, divided we fall," and "Union is strength," showed that a great demonstration had been held somewhere during the day, with the usual accompaniments in the shape of processions and bands of music; while the cheering and confusion upstairs informed me that, not content with having made a parade of their grievances, the men were engaged in talking them over among themselves in a more sociable way. Stealing cautiously upstairs, I obtruded myself into the room whence the noise proceeded, and immediately became a deeply interested spectator of

what transpired. The room was insalubrious with the reek, and the air dense with the smoke, of tobacco. A large deal table was placed crosswise at the head of the room, at which an old hewer, seated in a chair, was endeavouring to the utmost of his ability to maintain order in the assembly, and to insist upon only one person addressing the meeting at one and the same time. One or two reporters were seated below, trying to derive some kind of connected statement out of the Babel that seethed around them. When I entered, a deputation from some other colliery was speaking. In the broadest vernacular he informed the meeting that public opinion was with them; that the rascally conduct of the masters had done good to the union; that with such a cause as theirs, and with such promises of support as he was authorised to make, that evening, surrender was entirely out of the question. Loud cheering and stamping of feet greeted the conclusion of his address, When the "deputation" had finished, one of our deputy overmen arose and proceeded to address the chair amid general applause. "Ma friends," said he, "awm reet glad to hear that yoar nut ganin' to giv' in. (Cheers.) We'er nut ganin' ta let tha maisters scrush oot ahl tha bit life o' wor bodies yit. Smash, marrows, ah divent think, after ahl, tha maisters are rasponsibel for this yare strike. (Symptons of surprise among the audience.) Yo may glower, marrows, but ma 'pinion is, that had it na been for that duzzy lubbert Jones (meaning myself), who has allas been siccifanting toe-wards tha maisters, tha maisters wouldn't hae tarned uz oot o' wor hooses. (Immense applause.) Mister Harrison (cheers), tha real miner's friend, tould me az much, an' ah b'lieve 'im. He's a prood beggar is Jones, an' ah ony wish he may brick his neck for tha mizzery he haz brout on uz ahl." (Hear, hear, and a voice: "Mebbeys he'll nut hae a yem hissel when he comes back agen;" an expression of opinion which appeared to give lively satisfaction to many in the room.) Mind, friends," continued the speaker, "ah divent recommend resorting ta violence, ye knaw; but I mun say this, ah hae na sympathy whatsomenever for Mister Jones, and that's God's truth." The orator sat down amid tumultuous cheering, in the midst of which I made my escape.

66

I had heard enough to convince me that some outrage was in contemplation, and I suspected from what had fallen that mischief of some kind was intended to be done to my house.

No one had recognised me, and I determined to take advantage of this circumstance. Though naturally indignant to learn, and that, too, seemingly, on the authority of

my underviewer Harrison, that I had recommended the ejectment—an act which I reprobated as sternly as any of the speakers I had just heard-I felt that the moment was not the most fitting time for setting myself right in this respect. If a conspiracy had been formed to fire or destroy my residence, under the impression that I had not arrived from the west, I firmly resolved that the reception with which the miscreants should be received should be of a character to convince them of the egregious blunder they had committed.

On being informed of the anticipated outrage, the policemen, four in number and as stalwart fellows as ever drew truncheon on a burglar, very readily agreed to accompany me home; all the more readily, perhaps, as a provoking drizzle had set in, and they felt assured that, whether the attack took place or not, they should be comfortably housed for the night.

Nanny opened the door for us on our arrival, but scarcely so widely, I thought, as her eyes when she perceived the questionable society in which I presented myself. "Business first, pleasure afterwards," was the motto we observed. The doors were securely barred and bolted, the fastenings of the windows seen to, and the whole establishment put into an efficient state of defence. A brief hunt among lumber closets and almost forgotten passages resulted in the capture of a couple of fowling pieces and a brace of travelling pistols, which we set about cleaning and loading with exemplary diligence. Nanny, whose wits seemed to have undergone a polishing process for the occasion by the use of a little unwonted intellectual sandpaper, and who, moreover, could see as far as any of us into the pitchy darkness, was then dispatched upstairs to give notice of the first approach of the enemy, while the rest of us prepared to solace ourselves for the exertions we had already made, and to nerve ourselves for the exciting scenes that awaited us in the immediate future, by something both warm and exhilarating.

The time passed but slowly away; but for the ticking of the clock it might have been supposed that the venerable individual with the hour-glass had fallen asleep, as we should have done presently had the constables not commenced to open their budget of reminiscences. Their conversation turned out very appropriate to the occasion. I have known sportsmen who could remember the ancestry and performances of all the noted racers that had ever run since the beginning of the century. There are farmers, too, I have heardfor agriculture is somewhat out of my waywho can repeat the Herd Book by heart; and there are numbers of old fogeys who

know a great deal more about the history of our county families than they do themselves. In like manner, actuated no doubt by a professional bias, my fellow-watchers appeared to have studied the " 'Newgate Calendar" to great advantage, besides having the particulars of most of modern crimes at their fingers' ends. Happily for my peace of mind, which was gradually succumbing beneath the weight of horrors that were being perseveringly piled up by the legal artificers, the terrific confabulation was destined to experience a sudden interruption. Just as one of my official friends was approaching the climax of a stupendous adventure, in which he appeared to be everything and the thief, of whom he was in hot pursuit, nothing to speak of, Nanny came creeping downstairs with the startling intelligence that figures were moving about in the pinewood in the back settlements of the premises. And Nanny's eyes, or rather I should perhaps say, Nanny's ears, had not played her false. We had not long taken up our position at an upstairs window before a rustling was distinctly heard among the trees, and this was soon after followed by one, two, three, upwards of a dozen men jumping over the fence and creeping towards the house, the doors and windows of which they proceeded to test preliminary to using the heavy picks which many of them carried in their hands. Before a blow could be struck, however, I threw open the casement and demanded to know what they wanted. It was apparent to us all that the sound of my voice had caused a temporary panic among the crowd, and that many of them manifested a disposition to take to their heels. At length a rough voice cried out,—

"Viewer Jones, we'er ganin' ta sarve thoo as thoo's sarved uz. We mean ta turn thoo adrift. Let him hae it, marrows."

The appeal was responded to by a shower of missiles, and one of them happening to strike me full in the face, the pain was so excessive that I lost control of myself and let fly the contents of one of the fowling-pieces at the crowd, calling upon the police at the same time to turn their lanterns upon the faces of our cowardly assailants. From the howls that followed the report of the gun I learned that the shot, though fired at random, had taken effect upon some one, while the sudden blaze of light that was thrown below enabled me to recognise the majority of the attacking

party. The result was electrical, and not a little ludicrous. With a shout of baffled rage the conspirators broke and fled with precipitation, leaving their wounded companion, whom I subsequently discovered was more frightened than hurt, in our hands.

Little more remains to be told. The con

stables followed rapidly in pursuit of the flying herd, and succeeded in apprehending the major part of them. They were in due course brought, with the usual formalities, before their worships in petty sessions assembled, and then and there charged with a list of offences against the peace of our Sovereign Lady the Queen that fairly caused the boldest heart among them to break down. But I had already witnessed the pernicious effects of severe measures, and was determined to try what clemency could accomplish. Having consulted with my employers on the subject, I refused to press for convictions, provided the culprits would promise not to do the like again; which, to do them justice, they most readily did. This conduct had a perceptibly good effect among the men, an effect which I took occasion to improve by inviting them to come and discuss their grievances with me in a friendly way. The ice thus broken, a reconciliation ensued, and the colliery speedily resumed its customary activity. I have since married the charming young lady before alluded to, and have thus an additional interest in preserving harmony at Greenwood Fell.

As for Harrison, he saw it to be much to his interest to depart the day after the attack upon my domicile. Whether he was identified with that affair or not I was never able to learn, but he left on the following morning, and by so doing relieved me of a painful duty.

THE MISTAKEN GHOST. A Story in Three Chapters.

CHAPTER III.

SIX months had rolled away since the events narrated in the last chapter. The summer decked in beauty, and the autumn laden with the fruits of the earth, had come each in their appointed time to bless mankind; but there was one household to whom the season brought no gladness.

The inmates of Westzoy were in trouble. Farmer Coggan had made an unfortunate investment of his nephew's trust money; the young man was now of age, and required a settlement of his affairs; and to crown their misfortunes the farmer's co-trustee had lately

died insolvent. Legal disputes had arisen out of this complication, and one thing after another had gone against him, till at length the crisis had arrived, and he was about to be sold up. It is true, Westzoy farm-house and thirty acres of land were his own, but this was mortgaged to its full value, and now there