" ," now, laughing nervously, but with an undertone of snarl voice, "why on earth nipping my arm off, Horrocks, and dragging me along like this ? "

Horrocks released him His manner changed again "Nipping your arm off ? " "Sorry But it's you taught me the trick of walking friendly way "

"You haven't learnt the refinements of it yet then," said Raut, laughing artificially again "By Jove ! I'm black and blue " Horrocks offered no apology They stood now near the bottom hill, close fence that bordered the railway The ironworks had grown larger and spread out with their approach They looked blast furnaces now instead of down; the further view of Etruria and Hanley had dropped out of sight with their descent Before them, stile, rose notice-board, bearing, still dimly visible, the words, "BEWARE TRAINS," half hidden by splashes of coaly mud

"Fine effects," said Horrocks, waving his arm "Here comes train The puffs of smoke, the orange glare, the round eye of light in front of it, the melodious rattle Fine effects ! But these furnaces used finer, before we shoved cones in their throats, and saved the gas "

"How ? " said Raut "Cones ? "

"Cones, my man, cones I'll show you one nearer The flames used to flare open throats, great-- it ? --pillars of cloud by day, red and black smoke, and pillars of fire by night Now we run it off--in pipes, and burn it to heat the blast, top is shut by cone You'll be interested cone "

"But every ," said Raut, "you get burst of fire and smoke up there "

"The cone's not fixed, it's hung by chain from lever, and balanced by an equipoise You shall see it nearer Else, , there'd be no way of getting fuel thing Every the cone dips, and out comes the flare "

" ," said Raut He looked over his shoulder "The moon gets brighter,"

"Come along," said Horrocks abruptly, gripping his shoulder again, and moving him suddenly towards the railway crossing And then came one swift incidents, vivid, but so rapid leave one doubtful and reeling Half-way across, Horrocks's hand suddenly clenched upon him like vice, and swung him backward and through half-turn, he looked up the line And there chain of lamp-lit carriage windows telescoped swiftly as it came towards them, red and yellow lights of an engine grew larger and larger, rushing down upon them As he grasped what this meant, he turned his face to Horrocks, and pushed with all his strength against the arm that held him back rails The struggle last moment Just as certain as it Horrocks held him there, so certain that he violently lugged out of danger

" way," said Horrocks with gasp, train came rattling by, stood panting gate ironworks

" see it coming," said Raut, still, even own apprehensions, trying up an appearance of ordinary intercourse

Horrocks answered with grunt "The cone," , and then, as one who recovers himself, " hear "

"I didn't," said Raut

"I wouldn't you run over then world," said Horrocks

"For moment I lost my nerve," said Raut

Horrocks stood for half minute, then turned abruptly towards the ironworks again "See how fine these great mounds , these clinker-heaps, look night ! That truck yonder, up above there ! Up it goes, and out-tilts the slag See the palpitating red stuff go sliding down the slope get nearer, the heap rises up and cuts the blast furnaces See the quiver up above the big one Not that way ! , heaps That goes puddling furnaces, but to show you the canal first " and took Raut elbow, and so they went along side by side Raut answered Horrocks vaguely What, he asked himself, had really happened line ? Was he deluding himself own fancies, or had Horrocks actually held him back way train ? Had he just been within an ace of being murdered ?

Suppose this slouching, scowling monster did know anything ? For minute or two then Raut was really afraid life, but the mood passed as he reasoned with himself After all, Horrocks heard nothing At any rate, he had pulled him way His odd manner due mere vague jealousy he had shown once before talking now ash-heaps canal "Eigh ? " said Horrocks

"What ? " said Raut "Rather ! The haze moonlight Fine ! "

"Our canal," said Horrocks, stopping suddenly "Our canal by moonlight and firelight is immense You've never seen it ? Fancy that ! You've spent too many of your evenings philandering up in Newcastle there I tell you, for real florid quality----But you shall see Boiling water . "

came labyrinth of clinker-heaps and mounds of coal and ore, the noises rolling-mill sprang upon them suddenly, loud, near, and distinct Three shadowy workmen went by and touched their caps to Horrocks Their faces were vague darkness Raut felt futile impulse to address them, and before frame his words they passed shadows Horrocks pointed canal close before them now: weird-looking place it seemed, blood-red reflections furnaces The hot water that cooled the tuyres came , some fifty yards up--a tumultuous, almost boiling affluent, steam rose up water in silent white wisps and streaks, wrapping damply , an incessant succession of ghosts coming up black and red eddies, white uprising that made the head swim The shining black tower larger blast-furnace rose overhead mist, and its tumultuous riot filled their ears Raut kept away edge water, and watched Horrocks

"Here red," said Horrocks, "blood-red vapour as red and hot as sin; but yonder there, where the moonlight falls , and it drives across the clinker-heaps, as white as death "

Raut turned his head for moment, and then came back hastily watch on Horrocks "Come along rolling-mills," said Horrocks The threatening hold was not so evident , and Raut felt little reassured But all the same, what on earth did Horrocks mean about "white as death" and "red as sin" ? Coincidence, perhaps ?

They went and stood behind the puddlers for little while, and then rolling-mills, where amidst an incessant din the deliberate steam-hammer beat the juice succulent iron, and black, half-naked Titans rushed the plastic bars, like hot sealing-wax, wheels, "Come on," said Horrocks in Raut's ear; went and peeped little glass hole behind the tuyres, and saw the tumbled fire writhing pit blast-furnace It left one eye blinded for while Then, with green and blue patches dancing across the dark, they went lift the trucks of ore and fuel and lime were raised top big cylinder

And out narrow rail that overhung the furnace Raut's doubts came upon him again wise here ? If Horrocks did know--everything ! Do what , resist violent trembling Right under foot was sheer depth of seventy feet dangerous place They pushed by truck of fuel railing that crowned the thing The reek furnace, sulphurous vapour streaked with pungent bitterness, seemed to distant hillside of Hanley quiver The moon was riding out now from among drift of clouds, half-way up the sky above the undulating wooded outlines of Newcastle The steaming canal ran away from below them under an indistinct bridge, and vanished dim haze flat fields towards Burslem

"That's the cone I've been telling you of," shouted Horrocks; "and, below that, sixty feet of fire and molten metal, air blast frothing through it like gas in soda-water "

Raut gripped the hand-rail tightly, and stared down cone The heat was intense The boiling iron tumult blast made thunderous accompaniment to Horrocks's voice But the thing had gone through now Perhaps, after all .

" middle," bawled Horrocks, "temperature near thousand degrees If _you were dropped . flash into flame like pinch of gunpowder in candle Put your hand out and feel the heat breath Why, even up here I've seen the rain-water boiling off the trucks cone there It's damned sight too hot for roasting cakes The top side of it's three hundred degrees "

"Three hundred degrees ! " said Raut

"Three hundred centigrade, mind ! " said Horrocks " boil the blood out of you in no time "

"Eigh ? " said Raut, and turned

"Boil the blood out of you in . No, you don't ! "

"Let me go ! " screamed Raut "Let go my arm ! "

With one hand he clutched hand-rail, then with both For moment the two men stood swaying Then suddenly, with violent jerk, Horrocks had twisted him hold He clutched at Horrocks and missed, his foot went back into empty air; in mid-air he twisted himself, and then cheek and shoulder and knee struck the hot cone together

He clutched the chain the cone hung, thing sank an infinitesimal amount as he struck it circle of glowing red appeared about him, and tongue of flame, released chaos within, flickered up towards him An intense pain assailed him knees, and smell the singeing hands He raised himself feet, and tried to climb up the chain, and then something struck his head Black and shining moonlight, the throat furnace rose about him

Horrocks, , stood above him by trucks of fuel rail The gesticulating figure was bright and white moonlight, and shouting, "Fizzle, you fool ! Fizzle, you hunter of women ! You hot-blooded hound ! Boil ! boil ! boil ! "

Suddenly he caught up handful of coal truck, and flung it deliberately, lump after lump, at Raut

"Horrocks ! " cried Raut "Horrocks ! "

He clung, crying, chain, pulling himself up burning cone Each missile Horrocks flung hit him His clothes charred and glowed, and as he struggled the cone dropped, and rush of hot, suffocating gas whooped out and burned round him in swift breath of flame

His human likeness departed momentary red had passed, Horrocks saw charred, blackened figure, its head streaked with blood, still clutching and fumbling chain, and writhing in agony--a cindery animal, an inhuman, monstrous creature that began sobbing, intermittent shriek

Abruptly sight the ironmaster's anger passed deadly sickness came upon him The heavy odour of burning flesh came drifting up nostrils His sanity returned to him

"God have mercy upon me ! " he cried "O God ! what have I done ? "

the thing below him, save still moved and felt, was already dead man-- blood poor wretch boiling veins An intense realisation agony came mind, and overcame feeling For moment he stood irresolute, and then, turning truck, he hastily tilted its contents struggling thing that had once been man The mass fell with thud, and went radiating over the cone thud the shriek ended, and boiling confusion of smoke, dust, and flame came rushing up towards him As it passed, the cone clear again

Then he staggered back, and stood trembling, clinging rail with both hands His lips moved, but no words came

Down below sound of voices and running steps The clangour of rolling shed ceased abruptly