unners running
at a tremendous rate up sticks; and lower down, quite an orchard of big
pyramid pear and apple trees.

"Like it?" said Mr Solomon, watching me narrowly.

"I can't tell you how much, sir!" I cried excitedly. "I never thought
to see such a garden as this."

"Ain't half seen it yet," he replied. "Come and see the glass."

He led me towards where I could see ranges of glass houses, looking
white and shining amongst the trees, and as we went on he pointed to
different plots of vegetables and other objects of interest.

"Pump and well," he said. "Deep. 'Nother at the bottom. Dry in
summer; plenty in the pools. Frames and pits yonder. Nobody at home
but the young gents. Wish they weren't," he added in a growl. "Limbs,
both of them. Like to know where you are to live?" he said.

"Yes, sir. Is it at the house?"

"No. Yonder."

He pointed to a low cottage covered with a large wisteria, and built
almost in the middle of the great fruit and vegetable garden, while
between it and the great yew hedge lay the range of glass houses.

"You can find your way?"

"Yes, sir," I said, feeling damped again by his cold manner. "Are you
going?"

"Yes, now."

"Shall I fetch my box, sir?"

"No; I told Tom to take it to the cottage. You would like to look round
and see where you'll work? Don't want to begin to-night, eh?"

"Yes, sir, I'm ready, if you like," I said.

"Humph!" he ejaculated. "Well, perhaps we'll go and look at the fires
by and by. You're my apprentice now, you know."

"Am I, sir?"

"Yes; didn't Brother Ezra tell you?"

I shook my head.

"Don't matter. Come to learn glass. There's the houses; go and look
round. I'll call you when supper's ready."

I don't know whether I felt in good spirits or bad; but soon ceased to
think of everything but what I was seeing, as, being about to become a
glass boy, I entered one of the great hothouses belonging to the large
range of glass buildings.

A warm sweet-scented puff of air saluted me as I raised the copper latch
of the door, and found myself in a great red-tiled vinery, with long
canes trained from the rich soil at the roots straight up to the very
ridge, while, with wonderful regularity, large bunches like inverted
cones of great black grapes hung suspended from the tied-in twigs.
There were rows of black iron pipes along the sides from which rose a
soft heat, and the effect of this was visible in the rich juicy-looking
berri