"Well, they are true," said Brownlee, thoughtfully; he held up his lamp and looked at it. "For twenty years this has been the only sort of lamp I've troubled myself about, but please God, if it's not too late——" Charlie could not hear the rest, for he waved his hand and followed the other men.
At the end of the twelve hours Charlie was preparing to follow some men and boys to the shaft, when Bob White made his appearance. "It's rather queer," said Bob, shyly, "finding your way about here; will you go up with me?"
"Thank you," said Charlie heartily, setting off with him, and talking away as freely as he could to put Bob at his ease.
You may be sure Charlie was very glad to get home and rest after he had told his father and mother what he had seen and done. So ended his first day down the mine.
CHAPTER X.
A NEW FRIEND.
FTER the conversation with Brownlee about the Bible, Charlie took his pocket Bible down the mine regularly; his father wished him to read a little every day at his dinner-time. He was one of those people who never like to waste a minute, and in his dinner-time he managed generally to have something to read that was worth reading. Bob was really grateful to Charlie for interfering in his behalf, and lost no opportunity of showing it. It was astonishing how he improved: so much good in him that had been lying dormant was called out under Charlie's better influence. Sometimes he seemed half ashamed of his good behaviour, and would break out for a time into the old reckless way; but one night on their way home Charlie was talking in his own loving way about his dear father and mother, and their kindness to him; how his plans for being an engineer had been put aside by his father's illness; how he hoped soon to get more wages for their sakes, and so on, when in some unaccountable way Bob's whole nature seemed softened; and as if he could not help it, he poured out to Charlie his home troubles and all his old life; how he had fallen amongst bad companions, and grew up to be hardened and reckless, almost without even a wish to be better. Sometimes, when he saw Charlie and the other boys going to Mrs. Greenwell's class, looking so happy and clean and orderly, the wish that he was like them would creep into his heart; but he drove it away, and called after them with mocking words. All this and much more he told Charlie with tears streaming down his face, and his voice broken by sobs.
It almost frightened Charlie to see mocking, reckless Bob give way so completely. He was just wondering what he had better say to him, when Bob bid him good-night abruptly, and turned off home.