The chief engineer was standing on the steps.

"The house not on fire!" he exclaimed. "What are we all summoned for?"

"It is a mistake," cried Elizabeth Eliza, wringing her hands. "We
touched the wrong knob; we wanted the telegraph boy!"

"We touched all the wrong knobs," exclaimed Mrs. Peterkin, from the
house.

The chief engineer turned directly to give counter-directions, with a
few exclamations of disgust, as the bells of distant fire-engines were
heard approaching.

Solomon John appeared at this moment, and proposed taking one of the
carriages, and going for a doctor for his mother, for she was now nearly
ready to fall into hysterics, and Agamemnon thought to send a telegram
down by the boy, for the evening papers, to announce that the Peterkins'
house had not been on fire.

The crisis of the commotion had reached its height. The beds of flowers,
bordered with dark-colored leaves, were trodden down by the feet of the
crowd that had assembled.

The chief engineer grew more and more indignant, as he sent his men to
order back the fire-engines from the neighboring towns. The collection
of boys followed the procession as it went away. The fire-brigade
hastily removed covers from some of the furniture, restored the rest to
their places, and took away their ladders. Many neighbors remained, but
Mr. Peterkin hastened into the house to attend to Mrs. Peterkin.

Elizabeth Eliza took an opportunity to question her father, before he
went in, as to the success of their visit to town.

"We saw all the patent-agents," answered Mr. Peterkin, in a hollow
whisper. "Not one of them will touch the patent, or have anything to do
with it."

Elizabeth Eliza looked at Agamemnon, as he walked silently into the
house. She would not now speak to him of the patent; but she recalled
some words of Solomon John. When they were discussing the patent he
had said that many an inventor had grown gray before his discovery was
acknowledged by the public. Others might reap the harvest, but it came,
perhaps, only when he was going to his grave.

Elizabeth Eliza looked at Agamemnon reverently, and followed him
silently into the house.

AGAMEMNON'S CAREER.

THERE had apparently been some mistake in Agamemnon's education. He had
been to a number of colleges, indeed, but he had never completed his
course in any one.

He had continually fallen into some difficulty with the authorities. It
was singular, for he was of an inquiring mi