between Edinburgh and Glasgow, for a distance of ten or twelve miles,

lay the Aberfoyle colliery, of which the engineer, James Starr,



had so long

directed the works. For ten years these mines had been abandoned.



No new seams had been discovered, although the soundings had been

carried to a depth of fifteen hundred or even of two thousand feet,



and when James Starr had retired, it was with the full conviction

that even the smallest vein had been completely exhausted.



Under these circumstances, it was plain that the discovery

of a new seam of coal would be an important event.



Could Simon Ford's communicationrelate to a fact of this nature?

This question James Starr could not cease asking himself.



Was he called to make conquest of another corner of these rich

treasure fields? Fain would he hope it was so.



The second letter had for an instant checked his speculations on this

subject, but now he thought of that letter no longer. Besides, the son



of the old overman was there, waiting at the appointed rendezvous.

The anonymous letter was therefore worth nothing.



The moment the engineer set foot on the platform at the end

of his journey, the young man advanced towards him.



"Are you Harry Ford?" asked the engineer quickly.

"Yes, Mr. Starr."



"I should not have known you, my lad. Of course in ten years

you have become a man!"



"I knew you directly, sir," replied the young miner, cap in hand.

"You have not changed. You look just as you did when you bade us



good-by in the Dochart pit. I haven't forgotten that day."

"Put on your cap, Harry," said the engineer. "It's pouring,



and politeness needn't make you catch cold."

"Shall we take shelter anywhere, Mr. Starr?" asked young Ford.



"No, Harry. The weather is settled. It will rain all day,

and I am in a hurry. Let us go on."



"I am at your orders," replied Harry.

"Tell me, Harry, is your father well?"



"Very well, Mr. Starr."

"And your mother?"



"She is well, too."

"Was it your father who wrote telling me to come to the Yarrow shaft?"



"No, it was I."

"Then did Simon Ford send me a second letter to contradict the first?"



asked the engineer quickly.

"No, Mr. Starr," answered the young miner.



"Very well," said Starr, without speaking of the anonymous letter.

Then, continuing, "And can you tell me what you father wants with me?"



"Mr. Starr, my father wishes to tell you himself."

"But you know what it is?"



"I do, sir."

"Well, Harry, I will not ask you more. But let us get on, for I'm



anxious to see Simon Ford. By-the-bye, where does he live?"

"In the mine."



"What! In the Dochart pit?"

"Yes, Mr. Starr," replied Harry.



"Really! has your family never left the old mine since the cessation

of the works?"



"Not a day, Mr. Starr. You know my father. It is there he was born,

it is there he means to die!"



"I can understand that, Harry. I can understand that! His native mine!

He did not like to abandon it! And are you happy there?"



"Yes, Mr. Starr," replied the young miner, "for we love one another,

and we have but few wants."



"Well, Harry," said the engineer, "lead the way."

And walking rapidly through the streets of Callander, in a few



minutes they had left the town behind them.

CHAPTER III THE DOCHART PIT



HARRY FORD was a fine, strapping fellow of five and twenty.

His grave looks, his habituallypassive expression, had from



childhood been noticed among his comrades in the mine.

His regular features, his deep blue eyes, his curly hair,



rather chestnut than fair, the natural grace of his person,

altogether made him a fine specimen of a lowlander.



Accustomed from his earliest days to the work of the mine,

• sentence [´sentəns] n.判决 vt.宣判；处刑 (初中英语单词)


• useless [´ju:sləs] a.无用的，无价值的 (初中英语单词)


• abruptly [ə´brʌptli] ad.突然地；粗鲁地 (初中英语单词)


• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)


• evidently [´evidəntli] ad.明显地 (初中英语单词)


• invitation [,invi´teiʃən] n.邀请；请帖；吸引 (初中英语单词)


• communication [kə,mju:ni´keiʃən] n.通信；通讯联系 (初中英语单词)


• otherwise [´ʌðəwaiz] ad.另外 conj.否则 (初中英语单词)


• conclusion [kən´klu:ʒən] n.结束；结论；推论 (初中英语单词)


• reflection [ri´flekʃən] n.反射；映象；想法 (初中英语单词)


• wrought [rɔ:t] work 的过去式(分词) (初中英语单词)


• absence [´æbsəns] n.不在，缺席；缺乏 (初中英语单词)


• unable [ʌn´eibəl] a.不能的；无能为力的 (初中英语单词)


• origin [´ɔridʒin] n.起源；由来；出身 (初中英语单词)


• atmosphere [´ætməsfiə] n.大气；空气；气氛 (初中英语单词)


• liquid [´likwid] n.液体 a.流动的 (初中英语单词)


• interior [in´tiəriə] n.&a.内部地(的) (初中英语单词)


• peculiar [pi´kju:liə] a.特有的；奇异的 (初中英语单词)


• mercury [´mə:kjuri] n.汞；水银柱 (初中英语单词)


• immense [i´mens] a.广大的，无限的 (初中英语单词)


• suitable [´su:təbəl, ´sju:-] a.合适的，适当的 (初中英语单词)


• eagerly [´i:gəli] ad.渴望地，急切地 (初中英语单词)


• function [´fʌŋkʃən] n.机能；职责 vi.活动 (初中英语单词)


• primitive [´primitiv] a.原始的 n.原始人 (初中英语单词)


• compose [kəm´pəuz] v.组成；创作；作曲 (初中英语单词)


• chemical [´kemikəl] a.化学的 n.化学制品 (初中英语单词)


• carbon [´kɑ:bən] n.碳；(一张)复写纸 (初中英语单词)


• enormous [i´nɔ:məs] a.巨大地，很，极 (初中英语单词)


• pressure [´preʃə] n.压榨 vt.对…施压力 (初中英语单词)


• reaction [ri´ækʃən] n.反应(力) (初中英语单词)


• vegetable [´vedʒtəbəl] a.&n.蔬菜(的)；植物 (初中英语单词)


• mineral [´minərəl] n.矿物 a.矿物的 (初中英语单词)


• creation [kri´eiʃən] n.创作；作品；创造 (初中英语单词)


• considerable [kən´sidərəbəl] a.重要的；值得重视 (初中英语单词)


• whatever [wɔt´evə] pron.&a.无论什么 (初中英语单词)


• working [´wə:kiŋ] a.工人的；劳动的 (初中英语单词)


• relate [ri´leit] v.阐明；使联系；涉及 (初中英语单词)


• conquest [´kɔŋkwest] n.赢得；获得；占领地 (初中英语单词)


• instant [´instənt] a.立即的 n.紧迫；瞬间 (初中英语单词)


• waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)


• platform [´plætfɔ:m] n.(平)台；讲台；站台 (初中英语单词)


• advanced [əd´vɑ:nst] a.先进的；高级的 (初中英语单词)


• anywhere [´eniweə] ad.无论何处；任何地方 (初中英语单词)


• abandon [ə´bændən] vt.抛弃，放弃，离弃 (初中英语单词)


• passive [´pæsiv] a.被动的 n.被动性 (初中英语单词)


• apparently [ə´pærəntli] ad.显然，表面上地 (高中英语单词)


• mature [mə´tjuə] a.成熟的 v.(使)成熟 (高中英语单词)


• highland [´hailənd] n.山地，高地 (高中英语单词)


• narrative [´nærətiv] a.叙述的 n.记事 (高中英语单词)


• carbonic [kɑ:´bɔnik] a.(含)碳的 (高中英语单词)


• inferior [in´fiəriə] n.下级的 n.下级；晚辈 (高中英语单词)


• radiant [´reidiənt] a.发光的 n.光源(体) (高中英语单词)


• continually [kən´tinjuəli] ad.不断地，频繁地 (高中英语单词)


• earthquake [´ə:θkweik] n.地震；大变动 (高中英语单词)


• internal [in´tə:nl] a.内部的；国内的 (高中英语单词)


• compact [´kɔmpækt] n.契约 a.挤满的 (高中英语单词)


• massive [´mæsiv] a.厚实的；魁伟的 (高中英语单词)


• gigantic [dʒai´gæntik] a.巨大的 (高中英语单词)


• likeness [´laiknis] n.相似；肖像；外表 (高中英语单词)


• related [ri´leitid] a.叙述的；有联系的 (高中英语单词)


• chestnut [´tʃesnʌt] n.栗子；栗树；栗色(马) (高中英语单词)


• specimen [´spesimən] n.标本，样品；抽样 (高中英语单词)


• thwart [θwɔ:t] vt.阻挠 a.横(断的) (英语四级单词)


• contradiction [,kɔntrə´dikʃən] n.矛盾；反驳；抵触 (英语四级单词)


• warning [´wɔ:niŋ] n.警告；前兆 a.预告的 (英语四级单词)


• revolve [ri´vɔlv] v.(使)旋转；循环 (英语四级单词)


• irresistible [,iri´zistəbəl] a.不可抵抗的 (英语四级单词)


• fossil [´fɔsəl] n.老顽固 a.化石的 (英语四级单词)


• infinitely [´infinitli] ad.无限地；无穷地 (英语四级单词)


• absorption [əb´sɔ:pʃən] n.吸收；吸收作用 (英语四级单词)


• scottish [´skɔtiʃ, ´skɑtiʃ] a.&n.苏格兰人(的) (英语四级单词)


• edinburgh [´edinbərə] n.爱丁堡 (英语四级单词)


• glasgow [´glɑ:sgəu] n.格拉斯哥 (英语四级单词)


• contradict [,kɔntrə´dikt] v.反驳；否认 (英语四级单词)


• expressly [ik´spresli] ad.明白地；特意地 (英语六级单词)


• anonymous [ə´nɔniməs] a.不具名的；匿名的 (英语六级单词)


• geological [dʒiə´lɔdʒikəl] a.地质学的 (英语六级单词)


• watery [´wɔ:təri] a.水的；像水的 (英语六级单词)


• lagoon [lə´gu:n] n.濒海湖，泻湖 (英语六级单词)


• destitute [´destitju:t] a.贫穷的；缺乏…的 (英语六级单词)


• graphite [´græfait] n.石墨 (英语六级单词)


• retired [ri´taiəd] a.退休的；通职的 (英语六级单词)


• politeness [pə´laitnis] n.礼貌；文雅；温和 (英语六级单词)


• speaking [´spi:kiŋ] n.说话 a.发言的 (英语六级单词)


• habitually [hə´bitjuəli] adv.习惯地 (英语六级单词)