‘No, ma’am, it hardly would,’ he answered, gravely.

‘I will try what can be done,’ said Mary, ’unless you would speak to Mr. Ponsonby yourself.’

He looked inquiringly at Mr. Ponsonby’s figure some paces distant, and shook his head.

‘I will try,’ repeated Mary; and then she added, ’These grand hill-tops and blue sky almost make a church—­’

‘Yes, ma’am,’ said Tom, his black eyes lighting at the thought; ’I’ve felt so sometimes, but ’tis a mighty lonely one after a time.  I’ve taken my book, and got out of earshot of the noise the blacks make; and I do assure you, Miss Ponsonby, the stillness was enough to drive one wild, with nothing but savage rocks to look at either!  Not a green plant, nor a voice to answer, unless one got to the mountain echoes, and they are worse—­’

‘But surely you have the Cornishmen!  What do they do on a Sunday?’

‘They lie about, and smoke and sleep, or go down to the valley,’ said Tom.  ‘I never thought of them.’

‘I think you should,’ said Mary, gravely.  ’If you are in any authority over them, it must give you a charge over their souls.  I think you should, at least, give them the choice of reading the service with you.’

‘I’ll think about it,’ said Madison, gruffly.

‘I will send up some books for them to make an opening,’ said Mary.  ’I should not like to think of men living in such scenes, without being the better for them.’

Robson was here obliged to call Madison to refer some question to him; but Mary had another talk with him, when he begged to know if there were likely soon to be an opportunity of sending to England.  He had some fossils which he wished to send to Lord Fitzjocelyn; and he fetched them, and explained his theories with regard to them as if he had almost forgotten that she was not his young Lord.  She carried his request to her father, and was answered that of course he might take a holiday if he could leave the works with safety; he had better spend a few days in the town when he did come.  With this answer she made him happy; and they set off, to the extreme joy of Rosita, who had engrossed much less attention than she had expected, and declared she would never have come into these horrible places if she could have imagined what they were like.  Certainly, no one wished to have her company there again.

When Mr. Ponsonby mentioned the permission which he had accorded to Madison, Robson coughed and looked annoyed.  Mary could not help suspecting that this was because the request had not been preferred through himself.  ’So the young fellow wants to be coming down, does he?  I thought his ardour was too hot to last long.’

‘Very natural that the poor lad should want a holiday,’ said Mr. Ponsonby.  ’It must take a tolerable flow of spirits to stand long, being so many feet above the level of the sea, in caves fit for a robber’s den at the theatre.’