ng,
and a long narrow shutter fitting, one that we can open or close easily
from within. The place when cleaned, scraped, painted, and coloured
will be all that one could wish, and is strong enough to bear anything.
We can mount a monster here."

Tom looked more puzzled than ever. Monster?

"In the floor below make our laboratory, and keep chemicals and plates."

"Yes, uncle," said Tom; for he could understand that.

"And on the ground-floor do our grinding and fining."

"But the millstones are on the floor above," said Tom.

"Yes, I know, my boy, for the present; but I'll soon have them lowered
down. There, the place will do splendidly, and Mrs Fidler will be at
peace."

Tom did not see how Mrs Fidler could be at peace if the corn was ground
on the basement-floor of the mill, but he said nothing.

"Now we'll go down," said Uncle Richard. "I'm more than satisfied.
I'll have two or three stout fellows to lower down the stones; the rest
we will do ourselves."

He led the way down, locked up the mill again and the outer gate, and
then entered the garden and crossed it to the coach-house, where the
packages brought down were waiting.

"Go to the tool-chest and fetch an iron chisel and the biggest hammer,"
said Uncle Richard. "No, it's screwed down. Bring the two largest
screw-drivers."

Tom hurried away, and soon returned, to find that his uncle had opened
one of the packages he had brought down, and was untying some brown
paper, which proved to contain brass tubes and fittings, with slides and
rack-work.

"Know what these are?" said Uncle Richard.

"They look like part of a photographic camera," said Tom.

"A good shot, my lad, but not right. Now for the big chest. I hope
they are not broken. Try and get out some of the screws."

These were gradually drawn from the very stout chest, the lid lifted, a
quantity of thickly-packed straw removed, and a round package of brown
paper was revealed.

"Out with it, Tom," said his uncle. "No, don't trust to the string."

Tom bent down to lift out the package, but failed, and his uncle
laughed.

"Let's both try," he said, and getting their fingers down, they lifted
out something exceedingly heavy, and bore it to a stout bench. "Now for
the other," said Uncle Richard; and after removing more straw, a second
package was seen precisely like the first, which on being taken out and
opened, proved to be a great solid disc of ground-glass made fairly
smooth