at made something go off, and start the weight running down as fast
as it could. I must speak about it first thing to-morrow morning, or
the people will think the place is full of ghosts. Yes, I'll tell uncle
in the morning and he can do what he likes."

On coming to this resolve Vane undressed and slipped into bed once more,
laid his head on the pillow, and composed himself to sleep; but no sleep
came, and with his face burning he glided out of bed again, put on a few
things, and then stole out of his bedroom into the passage, where he
stood hesitating for a few minutes.

"No," he muttered as he drew a deep breath, "I will not be such a
coward;" and, creeping along the passage, he tapped softly on the next
bedroom door.

"Eh? Yes. Someone ill?" cried the doctor. "Down directly."

"No, no, uncle, don't get up," cried Vane hoarsely. "I only wanted to
tell you something."

"Tell me something? Well, what is it?"

"I wanted to say that I had been trying to clean the church clock this
afternoon, and I left out two of the wheels."

"What!" roared the doctor. "Hang it all, boy, I think nature must have
left out two of your wheels."

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

MACEY IN DIFFICULTIES.

"Well, no," said the doctor emphatically, after hearing Vane's
confession at breakfast next morning. "No harm was done, so I think we
will make it a private affair between us, Vane, for the rector would
look upon it as high treason if he knew."

"I'll go and tell him if you say I am to, uncle."

"Then I do not say you are to, boy. By the way, do your
school-fellows--I beg their pardons--your fellow-pupils know?"

"I have only told you and aunt, sir."

"Ah, well, let it rest with us, and I daresay the clockmaker will have
his own theory about how the two wheels happened to be missing from the
works of the clock. Only don't you go meddling with things which do not
belong to your department in future or you may get into very serious
trouble indeed."

The doctor gave his nephew a short sharp nod which meant dismissal, and
Vane went off into the conservatory to think about his improvement of
the heating apparatus.

But the excitement of the previous night and the short rest he had had
interfered with his powers of thought, and the greenhouse was soon left
for the laboratory, and that place for the rectory, toward which Vane
moved with a peculiarly guilty feeling.

He wished now that the doctor had given him leave to speak ou