The young man was very thankful for the hearty hospitality of which he had
been the recipient, and felt that he had been extremely fortunate in
finding such a pleasant abiding-place; but, although he was very weary
from his rough and tedious ride over the mountain, he found that slumber
was hard to woo, and he, too, lay awake for long hours, wondering over the
strange experience of the evening, and what hard fate--for hard he felt
sure it must have been--could have driven a cultivated gentleman like Mr.
Abbot, and his peerless daughter, who was so well fitted to shine in the
most brilliant circles of the world, away from the haunts of civilization
into that wilderness, and among the rude, uncultured, uncongenial people
of a mining region.




Chapter III.

Mr. Heath Talks of Becoming a Miner.



The next morning broke fair and beautiful.

Every trace of the storm had passed away, save that the dust was laid and
all nature looked fresher and brighter for the copious bath it had
received.

Virgie Abbot, despite her sleeplessness during the first half of the
night, was up at an early hour, superintending breakfast for her father
and their guest.