"How is he now?" said the plumber, coming to the door.

"Oh, I am quite well," I said, in an irritable tone that was new to me,

and I got up; "I'm going out now."

"You're well out of it, my lad," said the plumber. "I knowed a case

once where five chaps went down one after the other to save him as had

gone first, and they all fell to the bottom and died."

"There, for goodness' sake, man, don't talk like that to the lad after

what he has gone through," said Mrs Solomon.

"All right, mum," said the plumber; "but as I was going to say, I don't

think I shall have the heart to go down today, but I'll see how the air

is whether or no."

"You're not going out," said Mrs Solomon.

"Yes, please; it will do me good," I said; and the air did seem to

refresh me, as I followed them back to the well, where the plumber tried

it again by lowering down the lighted candle, to find it burn brightly

till it was down by the cross piece on which young Dalton had lain,

after which it went out directly.

He tried it again and again, always with the same result.

"It's got lower and lower," he said. "By to-morrow there won't be much

in. That young gent couldn't have been overcome by the bad air," he

continued. "It's my belief as he fell out of being frightened, and it's

lucky for him that he stopped where he did. If he'd gone a foot lower,

that doctor wouldn't have brought him round."

"Well," said Mr Solomon rather impatiently, "what are you going to do?"

"Kiver up the well for to-day, and come on tomorrow."

"But we want water."

"Can't help it; I couldn't go down and work there to-day. My nerves is

shook."

"Suppose we put a rope round you."

"Bless your heart, Mr Brownsmith, sir, I couldn't go down if you put

two ropes round me. I'm just going to lift out this here ladder, and

then p'r'aps your man will help me put on the stone."

Mr Solomon grunted, and I looked on, shivering a little in spite of the

hot sunshine as I saw the ladder lifted out and laid down beside the

path by Ike, after which Mr Solomon himself helped to put the stone

back in its place before walking with the plumber towards the gate.

"How was it all, Ike?" I said eagerly.

"Oh, you'd better ask young Shock here."

Shock, who was in a stiff suit of corduroys, looked at him sharply, spun

round, and ran off.

"Y'ever see the likes o' him?" said Ike chuckling. "Puts me in mind of

a scared dog, he do, reg'lar."




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